


Seclusion

by OriharaInfobroker



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Kinky sex, M/M, Multi, Quarantine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:28:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 23,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23275537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OriharaInfobroker/pseuds/OriharaInfobroker
Summary: Welcome to the 2020 Plague Fic three people probably wanted.This is a gratuitous mess of domestic fluff and kinky sex.There is no plot.Just Shiki and Izaya trapped together during the quarantine.With a side of Akabayashi.And cameos from the other Awakusu boys.Maybe a bit out of character. Forgive me... XDThis fic is as complete as it's ever going to be. I hope it brought some enjoyment during the worst of the quarantine for all of you. <3
Relationships: Akabayashi Mizuki/Orihara Izaya, Akabayashi Mizuki/Orihara Izaya/Shiki Haruya, Akabayashi Mizuki/Shiki Haruya, Orihara Izaya/Shiki Haruya
Comments: 78
Kudos: 101





	1. Day One

“Haruya, this laptop is ancient. You really need to upgrade.” Izaya criticized.

“It does what I need it to do. Why waste company money upgrading unnecessarily?”

Izaya looked up, adjusting his glasses as he gave Shiki a long-suffering look. “It _barely_ does what you need. Do you hear how hard it’s struggling to keep up? That’s a death scream if I’ve ever heard one.”

Shiki gave Izaya an amused look. “Clearly you haven’t heard many death screams. There’s no point in complaining about it, Izaya. It’s what I have and it’s unlikely Mikiya will want to approve tech upgrades in the middle of this situation. He’s already complaining about lost income since the government ordered the temporary closure of all soaplands and clubs.”

Izaya smirked. “After one call with everyone lagging and stuttering because your computers can’t handle it, he’ll change his mind.”

Shiki gave Izaya a flat look. “Please remember that this is Mikiya you’re talking about.”

Izaya beamed a smile at Shiki. “Have faith in me.”

“You won’t be on the call to convince him.”

“Won’t I?” Shiki arched a brow and Izaya grinned at him. “Since you can’t leave, I’ve designated myself your helper.”

“It isn’t a full quarantine yet, Izaya. Just social distancing.”

Izaya stared seriously at Shiki over the rim of his glasses. “Chronic smokers are at higher risk. You shouldn’t be leaving your apartment at all unless absolutely necessary.”

“And you being here isn’t going to increase my risk? If anything, I would think the informant, who is constantly interacting with his beloved humans, would be one of the first to get infected.”

“Oh, I’m temporarily suspending my business. Taking a vacation during this apocalypse.”

“And inviting yourself over?”

“Of course. You’ll need company. And someone to take care of you if you get sick. You should be thanking me for my generous offer.”

“Yes, of course. It can’t possibly be because someone doesn’t want to feel bored and lonely in his penthouse apartment.”

Izaya rolled his eyes and turned his focus back to the laptop. “You should probably use a headset. This laptop’s hardware is pretty basic level shit. If you use the onboard mic it’s gonna pick up every random noise and sound pretty staticky. I can lend you one. I’ll just have to run to my apartment. While I’m out is there anything else you’ll need?”

Shiki arched a brow at Izaya’s offer, grabbing a nearby pad of paper and a pen. “Sure, I’ll give you a grocery list. Best to get the shopping out of the way now so you won’t have to go out too often later.”

“Well, the teleconference software is set up but the work share program is still downloading. You should probably call your service provider and up your bandwidth if you’re going to be working from home. Your connection’s pretty slow. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

Izaya got up and took the list from Shiki, reading through it then smirking. “I think you’re missing a few things…” He noted as he headed toward the door. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure we’re well-stocked.”

Shiki watched Izaya leave with amusement. Though he had been prepared for the solitude that the social distancing would be inflicting on everyone, he had to admit that the idea of company wasn’t unwelcome. 

Izaya returned a few hours later, as promised, with a few more bags than just the grocery list he had been given. Shiki arched a brow as Izaya handed him a bag full of toiletries. “I stopped at the drugstore as well.” He explained with a grin. Shiki opened the back, looking inside, and snorted. 

“Are you preparing for an orgy?”

Izaya’s smirk widened and he shrugged. “Who knows how long we’ll be trapped?” He replied as he took the grocery bags into the kitchen.

“I wouldn’t call it trapped,” Shiki replied with a slight smile as he sorted out the actual toiletries from the excessive selection of lube. “It isn’t a lockdown yet. Pina Colada flavour? Really?”

“You don’t like coconut?” Izaya asked with a grin. “I tried for coffee flavoured but that doesn’t seem to be a thing.”

“How thoughtful…” Shiki replied dryly, moving to the bathroom to put Izaya’s purchases away. Izaya returned to the computer, checking the download and installation.

“Hey Haruya, how often are you planning to be teleconferencing?” He asked.

“Mikiya wants to do a call every day but I don’t expect that to last. There isn’t going to be enough work to report on to need a daily call.”

“Maybe not but it might be a good habit for morale. I was reading recommendations for work-from-home businesses and one of them was consistent contact with your coworkers in order to stave off the feeling of isolation.”

“Yes, I’m sure that’s very helpful for extroverts like Mikiya and Akabayashi. I’d prefer not to have to sit on a pointless call when I could be doing other things.”

“Like what?” Izaya asked pointedly and Shiki gave him a sadistic grin.

“Keeping my self-appointed caretaker busy.”


	2. Day Two

Shiki woke to the smell of coffee and the faint sound of the television. Amazingly, Izaya had gotten out of bed before him. That _never_ happened. He contemplated going back to sleep. It was the weekend and he had no work to do yet since they were still setting up the work-from-home solutions. He really didn't need to get out of bed yet. 

But he was curious. What could possibly get Izaya out of bed on a Saturday? He pushed back the covers and forced himself out of bed, pulling on a pair of pyjama bottoms. As he approached the living room, the indistinguishable noises were revealed to be anime. He gazed at his house guest, sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee and munching on a piece of toast in a blatantly stolen pair of Shiki's pyjamas. 

"You watch cartoons?" He asked as he veered toward the kitchen for that wonderful smelling coffee. 

"Sometimes, " Izaya replied, turning to look at Shiki. "When I'm not busy with work. And they aren't _cartoons_."

"Pretty sure Bananyas is a kid's cartoon," Shiki observed as he opened the fridge. Izaya rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. 

"I'm waiting for the next show." He watched Shiki from over the back of the couch, curious. 

Shiki pulled out eggs, cheddar, a bell pepper, some mushrooms, and a shallot. Izaya's eyes widened and he lifted himself off the couch, wandering toward the kitchen. 

Shiki gave Izaya an amused look as the raven parked himself on a stool at the bar. He began chopping the vegetables, grating the cheese and beating the eggs. Out came the frying pan and spatula, which he promptly used to smack Izaya's hand as he tried to snatch a mushroom. 

"Didn't you eat already?" He pointed out as Izaya rubbed his hand and pouted. 

"Just toast. That looks much better than toast." Izaya watched as Shiki sautéed half the vegetables then added some of the egg mix. He moved the pan as he scrambled up the egg-and-veggie mixture, then let it sit and cook. 

"Are you asking me to cook you breakfast?" Shiki asked, giving Izaya a smirk. 

"Please Daddy, I'm hungry," Izaya responded with a devilish grin. Shiki lifted the pan and smoothly flipped the omelette then added cheese. 

"Invites himself over, steals my clothes, makes himself at home _and_ expects me to cook for him. I thought _you_ were supposed to be taking care of _me."_

Izaya continued to grin. "I took care of you last night." Shiki gazed at him, picking up a mushroom and pressing it to his lips. 

"So I should feed you breakfast? As I recall, you were enjoying it very much." Izaya parted his lips to take in the mushroom, smirking. Shiki slid the omelette onto a plate and put it down in front of Izaya. "You're doing the dishes."

Izaya gave Shiki a horrified look as the other started the omelette process all over. "But Haruya…" He began. 

"No buts, home invader," Shiki replied as he plated his own breakfast and turned off the stove. He took his plate and his coffee into the living room, settling on the couch. Izaya followed, settling down next to him. “So what show were you waiting for?”

“Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai. The second season is supposed to air today.” Shiki arched a brow at Izaya. “Trust me, it’s a highly entertaining show. Oh… but you haven’t seen the first season. It’s only twelve episodes. We could easily binge it in one day.”

“Wouldn’t you miss your episode?”

“It’s fine. I can always stream it since it’s a simulcast. I’d just have to set up my account on your TV.” Izaya reached for the remote with an excited grin. Shiki watched Izaya with a hint of a smile. Watching anime wasn’t exactly how he had planned to spend the day but Izaya’s excitement was too cute to resist. 

“Hmmm. If you’re going to make me sit through this, I get to pick the next thing we watch.”

Izaya glanced at Shiki, not at all deterred by this declaration. “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To pick the anime Izaya was watching I just googled new anime series and found out that Kaguya-sama has a season 2 coming out in a couple of weeks. Random pick but I couldn't resist. XD
> 
> I know the chapters are kind of short but the idea is to put out something every day (if I can) so I'm just keeping to short bits. Also, trying not to neglect other writing while doing this.


	3. Day Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why does smut always take me forever to write? WHY?
> 
> Anyway... have a kink chapter.

Izaya dragged his ass out of bed around noon. What had started as a short binge of an anime had led to Shiki introducing Izaya to a detective show that had drawn him in. He wasn’t entirely sure when they had gone to bed, in fact, he didn’t remember going to bed which meant he probably fell asleep on the couch.

Shiki was up, of course, insomniac that he was. Izaya made his way to the bathroom to monopolize the shower. Shiki’s bathroom was nice enough, certainly functional, but not nearly as nice as Izaya’s. He wrinkled his nose at the size of Shiki’s tub. After an unnecessarily long amount of time, he finally appeared in the living room, wearing nothing but a towel as he made his way toward the kitchen where Shiki appeared to be sweeping the floor.

“Sweeping?” He asked the obvious, letting Shiki infer the greater depth of the question.

“I always do the housework on Sunday,” Shiki replied, looking up at his nearly naked houseguest. “If you’re lacking clean clothes, I’m about to put on a load of laundry.”

Izaya tilted his head slightly, smirking. “You do laundry? And here I thought you just sent everything out to the dry cleaners.”

“Did you think the towels and sheets go to the dry cleaners too?” Shiki arched a brow. Izaya stepped into the kitchen only to have Shiki smack his legs with the broom. “Out.” 

Izaya sighed and stepped back, waiting for Shiki to finish his sweeping. “Is this really what you do on your weekends?” 

“Apartments don’t clean themselves,” Shiki pointed out as he put the broom away in a closet. “It would go faster if you helped.” While he phrased it as a suggestion, Shiki’s tone implied an order. 

Izaya grinned as he went for the ever-present pot of coffee. “Sounds boring.”

“Was I somehow unclear, Izaya?” Shiki pulled out a bottle of window cleaner and a roll of paper towel, handing them to Izaya before he could even grab a cup. “You like windows. You can watch the neighbours while you clean.” Izaya looked at the cleaning supplies, then at Shiki’s stern face.

“Fine, I’ll help. Just let me get dressed,” He relented. 

Shiki smirked. “That won’t be necessary. In fact, I think you’re overdressed.” His hand reached out to grab the towel and tug it free from Izaya’s waist. “Make sure you do a proper job.” He headed toward the washroom, giving Izaya’s ass a smack as he passed. Izaya bit his lip as he watched Shiki walk away. He turned his gaze to the windows, suddenly thankful that they weren’t in _his_ apartment. He moved to the windows and began to clean them, not overly concerned by his nudity. If anything, the thought of some stranger catching a glimpse of him was exciting. It would be even hotter if Shiki fucked him right up against these windows in broad daylight for the neighbours to see.

By the time Shiki had returned from collecting the laundry, Izaya had finished the windows and grabbed a cup of coffee, naked ass planted on the counter. Shiki arched a brow at the sight. “Down.” He ordered, making Izaya jump. “Bad enough when you do it with clothes on.”

“I had a shower,” Izaya retorted as he reluctantly gave up his perch. “My ass is _very_ clean, I’ll have you know.”

“Is that so?” Shiki replied with a hint of a smirk as he pulled a brush and a small bucket out of the closet. “The floors are in need of scrubbing.”

Izaya’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t own a mop?”

“I’d rather see you on your knees,” Shiki replied without a pause. Izaya’s lips curved upward into a smirk as he took the brush and bucket.

“And what will you be doing while I scrub your floors?”

“Cleaning the kitchen, of course,” Shiki replied, turning him by the shoulders and pushing him out toward the living room. As Izaya filled the bucket and got to work scrubbing the floor, he made sure to position himself so Shiki could get a good view of his ass as he bent over. The kitchen took significantly less time to clean so Shiki perched on one of the stools as Izaya continued to scrub. “Not used to manual labour?” He teased with amusement.

“No one scrubs floors by hand anymore, Haruya,” Izaya replied, turning his head to gaze back at the executive.

“Maybe not but I think I understand why the old monks at the temples make the young men do it,” Shiki replied.

Izaya snorted and lifted his ass a little higher. “Enjoying the view?”

“Yes. How often do I get the opportunity to see the infamous Orihara Izaya naked and scrubbing my floor?” Izaya dropped the brush in the bucket and stood up.

“Are you satisfied?” He asked as he sauntered toward Shiki. Shiki gave him a thoughtful look.

“The bathroom still needs to be cleaned and the laundry folded and put away.” 

Izaya sighed as he slid his arms around Shiki’s neck. “I’m tired of cleaning, Haruya.”

“Oh? Is there something else you’d rather be doing?” Shiki slid an arm around Izaya’s waist.

“The opposite of cleaning,” Izaya smirked and leaned in for a kiss. Shiki responded by biting Izaya’s lower lip.

“You do like it dirty, don’t you?” He slid his leg between Izaya’s. Izaya pressed his crotch against Shiki’s thigh in response. He slid off the stool and turned Izaya around to face the other stool. Hands slid over Izaya’s hips and up along his ribs. “Thinking about getting fucked while you scrubbed the floor? Hoping I’d come over there and make a mess of that clean ass of yours?” One hand slid over Izaya’s neck and pressed him forward over the stool while the other slid between his legs to fondle his balls. Izaya gripped the edge of the stool, groaning at Shiki’s touch. “Don’t move.” Izaya turned his head slightly and earned a hard slap on his ass. Izaya dropped his head to gaze at the floor, catching Shiki walking away out of his peripheral. 

A few minutes later Shiki returned, crouching as he ran a hand through Izaya’s hair. He lifted Izaya’s head and pressed a firm kiss to his lips as his other hand pulled one of Izaya’s arms down. Izaya gasped into the kiss, eyes shifting to see what Shiki was doing. Shiki drew back, giving Izaya an amused smile as he pulled the other arm down and brought them together. As Shiki drew the rough line of rope over his wrists, Izaya’s breath sped up. He watched with fascination as Shiki drew the rope tight, pulling his arms down and binding them to the lower bar of the stool tightly. Every touch and pull made his chest flutter with excitement. He tugged at the rope as Shiki stood up but there was no give. 

Shiki kept a hand on his back, tracing fingertips against sensitive skin as he moved around behind Izaya. Izaya craned his neck to watch, earning another hard slap. “Head down, Izaya,” Shiki commanded and Izaya reluctantly obeyed. Not being able to see what Shiki was going to do was equal parts unnerving and exciting. Shiki pushed his legs open, drawing them apart to the point that it was just uncomfortable. The rope slid over his knees, pulling tight against the legs of the stool, leaving him immobile and exposed.

He heard the soft snap of a bottle lid and felt the cool splash of lube against his tailbone, sliding down the cleft of his ass. The smell of coconut and pineapple filled the air and Izaya couldn’t help but to chuckle. “Liked the pina colada option?” He asked as Shiki’s fingers deftly spread the lube down over his entrance. Shiki didn’t answer immediately, pressing something cool and hard into him. Izaya groaned as the large toy stretched him open, almost too much at once. He panted, squeezing his eyes shut at the uncomfortable burn.

“Relax, Izaya” Shiki spoke calmly, placing a hand on the small of his back. “It’s nothing you haven’t taken before.” Izaya took a deep breath, concentrating on relaxing, on taking slow breaths, on the pleasurable fullness as the toy slid deeper and the burn faded. “Good job.” Shiki praised him as the anal plug slid into place. He shifted his hips eagerly at the feeling. 

Next Shiki’s hand slid down between his legs to grip his cock firmly, sliding a tight cock ring down to the base and over his balls. He groaned in frustration as Shiki gave his cock a few teasing strokes before pulling back. “You are not permitted to come on my clean floor, Izaya.” He spoke sternly as he moved around to Izaya’s front. He pulled Izaya’s head back, gazing down at the raven. “If you do, I will have to punish you.”

Izaya met Shiki’s gaze and groaned. “Yes, sir.” Who knows what the sadist would come up with as punishment. 

Shiki let Izaya’s head go, pushing his pants off his hips. Izaya’s lips curved into a smirk at the sight of Shiki’s erect cock, sensing what would come next. He groaned, though, when Shiki slicked his own cock with the pina colada flavoured lube, giving Izaya a smirk. “You can tell me how it tastes when you’re done.” He pressed his cock to Izaya’s lips and the raven parted them obediently. Shiki’s hand returned to Izaya’s hair, keeping his head pulled back as he began to thrust slowly into the wet heat of Izaya’s mouth. The raven drew his tongue along Shiki’s cock as he moved, earning a soft groan from Shiki. “That’s right, go ahead and suck my cock clean.” He ordered and Izaya obeyed, soft moans escaping his lips as Shiki fucked his mouth. 

He closed his eyes, focusing on the feel and taste of Shiki’s cock, on the slow rhythm he set, on relaxing into it. The press of rope, the tight ring binding his cock, the toy that stretched him open, all reminders that in this moment, he was Shiki’s. Whatever Shiki wished to do to him, he would submit to, giving up control of his body, of his pleasure to the other man. It was always a bit terrifying; he didn’t like giving up control. When Shiki took him in hand, bound him in rope and accepted nothing less than absolute submission, that fear swiftly turned into excitement and peace. A feeling more addictive than anything else, something only Shiki could give him. 

Shiki began to move faster and as he did, the plug in his ass hummed to life causing him to let out a heavy moan. The vibrations made his muscles clench and his hips jerk against the edge of the stool. Shiki watched with a sadistic smirk as Izaya’s eyes opened to stare up at Shiki hungrily. “That’s a nice expression,” Shiki observed, pressing his cock in deep and holding it there. Izaya’s nostril’s flared as he struggled to focus on not choking. Shiki drew back then pressed in deep again, enjoying the soft whimpers caught in Izaya’s throat. He pulled out, letting the raven catch his breath, stroking his hair softly. “So pretty with your eyes pleading and your desperate moans trapped in your throat. What do you want, Izaya?”

The words were a breathless moan. “Fuck me, Haruya.”

Shiki let Izaya’s head drop, tracing a hand over his back as he moved toward his ass. “Not yet.” His hand gripped Izaya’s ass tightly before pulling away. The next sensation Izaya felt was that of fire spreading across his ass. “Haaah!” He wailed at the unexpected slap. “Haru…” He whined in protest but that only earned another stinging swat, this time on the other cheek. He couldn’t help but to squirm as Shiki continued to redden his ass with steady strikes. Shiki pressed a hand to his back to still his wriggling as he landed a powerful blow that drew out a moan. Izaya whined desperately, his neglected cock aching for attention as the mix of pleasure and pain assaulted him. “Haruya please!” He begged as Shiki gave his cheeks a gentle caress.

“Please what?”

“Please fuck me, Haruya!”

The hum of the toy stopped and Shiki slowly began to pull it out then push it back in. The feeling made his cock twitch eagerly. “No coming, Izaya.” He reminded as he pulled the toy out completely. Izaya made a strangled noise that was somewhere between a moan of pleasure and a whine of frustration. Shiki replaced the toy with his cock, thrusting deep and hard from the start. Izaya whimpered at the rough pace as Shiki gripped his hips tightly to keep him in place. He closed his eyes and bit his lip against the rise of pleasure deep in his belly. He could feel it, like standing on a precipice and he desperately wanted to jump off that edge, to ride the wave of pleasure. Shiki’s insistent pace certainly didn’t make it easier but he put all of his focus on that one thing, on not coming. He gave a groan of relief when Shiki gave a few sharp thrusts, filling his ass. Hands slid up from his hips gently, caressing his ass and his lower back. “Good job, Izaya.” He spoke and Izaya couldn’t help but to smile at the praise. 

Shiki pulled out, sliding a hand down to tease Izaya’s aching cock with several slow strokes, pulling off the ring. Then his hands slid lower, carefully loosening the ropes, freeing him from the stool. “Slowly,” he murmured as he helped Izaya stand. Izaya’s legs trembled as he leaned back against Shiki. “Sit on the stool,” Shiki ordered and he obeyed. Shiki lowered his head and took Izaya’s cock into his mouth, working it rapidly. Izaya gasped, grabbing Shiki’s hair. There was no teasing about Shiki’s movements; he was aiming to make Izaya come and the raven was too on edge to even try to fight it. It didn’t take very long at all for Shiki to draw out Izaya’s orgasm, continuing to suck as the raven shuddered and gasped through it.

Izaya let his grip on Shiki’s hair go as the other pulled back, standing up. Izaya gripped Shiki’s shirt, lifting his head as Shiki pressed in for a slow, lingering kiss.


	4. Day Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't update anything yesterday :/

"What are you wearing?" Izaya giggled at the sight of Shiki in a dress shirt and pyjama bottoms. 

"Work-at-home casual," Shiki replied as he stepped into the office. "Did you finish setting up the software?" 

"Yeah but I still think you need to upgrade."

"We'll see how it goes," Shiki replied with a shrug as he shooed Izaya out of his desk chair. Izaya hovered behind him as he settled into his seat. "Izaya."

"Yes, Haruya?"

"Find something else to do."

"But you might need tech support."

"Then I'll call you."

Izaya pouted but reluctantly left Shiki's office, snatching a random book off his bookshelf on the way out.

It took a bit of patience, mostly waiting for Aozaki to finally figure out how to turn his audio on. As soon as he did, Akabayashi was making fun of him, of course, and it was no different than every other meeting. As Izaya predicted, the call quality was shit. The only one who seemed to have no problems was Kazamoto. Mikiya complained about it every time someone cut out. Shiki passed along Izaya's recommendations. He actually seemed to consider it. 

Mikiya and Aozaki were wearing dress shirts like Shiki but Akabayashi hadn't even bothered and was instead sporting a brightly coloured Hawaiian shirt. Kazamoto refused to turn his video on, inserting a picture of a gecko sipping a margarita instead. 

The Awakusu businesses were fairly diverse so they weren't worried about losing money in the long run but some of their businesses couldn't operate. 

"I would recommend having Aozaki round up some of his men and put them on charity work," Shiki suggested. "There are many people who are unable to leave their homes because they are at high risk. Have them do grocery runs for those people."

"That's a good idea." Aozaki agreed. "It'll keep them from getting bored and doing something stupid like going to the bar." Aozaki's thugs weren't the most socially-minded guys. 

"Since the galleries are closed for the foreseeable future, I'd also suggest taking this opportunity to improve our online presence. We can potentially continue to make sales by featuring the art online." 

Anything that implied profit made Mikiya smile and he nodded agreement. "Wouldn't that still require staff to ship the packages?" 

"Just a single worker would be enough. Meets the social distancing requirement."

"Ah, that's good. Kazamoto has the real estate well in hand which just leaves the soaplands. I was thinking about house visits-" 

"No." All four executives immediately disagreed with Mikiya's suggestion. 

"Audio and video services." Akabayashi immediately followed up. "Let the girls work from home. They can do live streams or phone sex."

"We don't have the infrastructure for that…" Mikiya disagreed. 

"My informant is currently unemployed. I can put him to work on that problem."

"In the meantime," Akabayashi continued. "We need to make sure the girls are still getting paid."

"But they aren't working." Mikiya pointed out with a frown.

"And if they're afraid that they won't get paid, they will be more likely to try to work without our oversight." Kazamoto pointed out practically, backing Akabayashi's stance. "Better to continue to pay them until they can go back to work than to lose potential money _and_ employees."

Mikiya did not look pleased but was also unable to provide a reasonable counter. "Fine," Akabayashi smirked at Mikiya's reluctant agreement. "Can you get your pet informant to upgrade this computer shit for us too while he's at it?" 

Shiki nodded. "I'll let him know."

With their work divided, they ended the call and Shiki made his way out to the living room where Izaya was lounging. He looked up from the book expectantly. 

"Well?" 

"I have work for you," Shiki replied with a slight smile. 

Izaya sat up. "Do I get to re-equip the Awakusu with actually relevant technology?" 

"Yes. I've promoted you to tech support."

Izaya looked pleased then suspicious. "What do you mean by tech support?" 

"Aside from helping the executives upgrade their computers, you're also going to help Akabayashi figure out how to let our girls do their work from a distance.”

Izaya grew thoughtful. “That’s a complicated problem. I assume you mean phone sex and videos?”

“Yes, Akabayashi suggested it as a way to get the girls working. Mikiya didn’t want to pay them while they’re in isolation, cheap ass. So the sooner we can get them doing something, the better for everyone. I’d rather he didn’t get it in his head to try to fire them all or something equally stupid.”

“I thought they issued a labour law amendment to make sure people couldn’t be fired right now.”

Shiki gave Izaya an amused look. “Because the yakuza are so very concerned about labour law violations.”

“Ah, yes, of course,” Izaya smirked. “You do know that Al Capone was taken down for _tax fraud,_ don’t you? I don’t think you want to start drawing the eye of _any_ government body.”

“I’ll be sure to pass that piece of advice on to Mikiya. Do you think it’s something we can manage?” 

“Well, it will really depend on the girls and what they can do from home. If they don’t have a suitable… workspace, it won’t work. Tell Akabaka to ask them if they can manage it. I can look into what they’d need and put the figures together for Mikiya to cry over. You know it won’t be cheap, right? Unless you want to go for the amateur porn type of quality.”

“Give me a range of options and we can talk it through with Akabayashi. Once we’ve determined the best option, we’ll just give him one number.”

Izaya chuckled and sat up, reaching for his laptop. “I love how you manage your boss,” he purred. “So authoritative.”

Shiki eyed Izaya with a smirk. “Some people need a firm hand,” he replied pointedly.

Izaya’s grin widened. “Daddy I need the company credit card…”

“What you need is supervision,” Shiki replied with a snort as he settled on the couch beside Izaya.

“Micromanager.” Izaya pointed out with a smirk as he promptly cuddled up to Shiki. “For the executive’s laptops, I did some preliminary research the other day and priced out some options.”

“Of course you did.” Shiki smiled as he put an arm around Izaya’s shoulder. “Show me.”


	5. Day Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /ᐠ｡‸｡ᐟ\

“I need to run to my apartment,” Izaya spoke as he finished drying the breakfast dishes. “Do you need anything while I’m out?”

Shiki looked up from the emails he had been going through. “Yeah, I need smokes and we’re almost out of coffee.” “Did you know that smokers are guaranteed to need ventilators?” Izaya replied, turning to face Shiki with a frown.

Shiki arched a brow. “Fine, I’ll get them myself.” 

Izaya gave a frustrated sigh. “It’s a good opportunity to quit.”

“I’m not going to quit cold-turkey, Izaya.”

“I could get you patches.”

A hint of a smile crossed his lips at Izaya’s obvious determination and the underlying concern. “And what do you suggest I do about the oral fixation?”

Izaya smirked at the question. “If you really need to put things in your mouth…”

Shiki smirked back at the raven. “Just get your errands done.” He wrote out a short list and handed it to Izaya. “Grab these things for dinner.”

Izaya looked at the list with curiosity then grinned. “Some kind of pasta for dinner?”

“Yes, I saw a recipe I want to try.”

Izaya slid the list into his pocket and grabbed his jacket. “I’ll be back in a bit. Don’t get too bored without me.”

“I’ll enjoy the peace and quiet.”

Izaya’s return was accompanied by the rather unhappy sounds of a distressed cat. Shiki looked up from the book he had been reading to see Izaya placing a cat carrier on the floor. He glanced at Shiki as he opened up the carrier. Tsuki shot out of the offensive cage then slid to a stop when he realized this was not his home.

“Izaya, I don’t think-” Shiki began but before he could finish, Tsuki darted under the couch. “Well. Was this why you had to go to your apartment?”

“I did go to check on him but he was upset that I haven’t been home. I couldn’t just leave him there alone.” Izaya explained as he put the grocery bags in the kitchen. “I think he missed you too.”

“Great. Now I’m stuck with two freeloaders,” Shiki replied as he moved to the kitchen to sort through the grocery bags. “You can put his food and water in the kitchen and his litter box in the laundry room.” 

Izaya grinned at Shiki’s response, snarky yet accepting. “Don’t worry, he’s a perfect roommate. Quiet. Eats very little.”

“Unlike his owner who is neither.” Shiki pulled out the pack of smokes, unwrapping it. “He’s probably going to be pretty skittish for a while, poor boy.”

“Yeah, that’s why I didn’t bring him earlier.” Izaya frowned when Shiki pulled out a smoke, eyes drawn to the cancer stick.. 

Shiki noticed the look and gave him a fond smile, pressing a kiss to his forehead before moving toward the balcony. “I’ll start dinner in a bit.” Izaya sighed and turned back to the task of setting things up for the cat and putting away the groceries. Shiki returned after a few minutes, rolling up his sleeves and washing his hands. Izaya slid onto a bar stool, watching as Shiki pulled out the ingredients he needed.

“How did you learn to cook?”

“I was in junior high when my mother decided that I needed to learn.” Shiki began to slice a variety of vegetables; zucchini, carrot, red and yellow bell peppers, red onion, garlic and cherry tomatoes. “At the time I wasn’t really interested in it but she insisted. She was a good cook, taught me how to make simple dishes, the kinds of things anyone could make quickly at home.”

“And you discovered you liked cooking?” Izaya swiped a tomato as Shiki switched to grating parmesan cheese.

Shiki chuckled. “No, I still wasn’t interested in it. I was thirteen. I let my mother teach me because it was important to her and I knew that someday I’d have to feed myself but I didn’t really find it enjoyable.”

“When did that change?” Izaya prodded, reaching for another tomato and earning a smack on his hand. Shiki turned the cutting board toward him, handing him the knife and a bunch of parsley. He turned to the stove, putting water on for the pasta and heating up a frying pan. 

“When I started with the Awakusu, I didn’t have a lot of money. Eating out ate into my pocketbook pretty quickly. I cooked my own meals to save money but the few recipes my mother managed to impart got repetitive. I started watching this cooking show… I don’t even remember what it was called but it was hosted by an actual chef. I started trying new recipes and found I really enjoyed the process.” Izaya finished chopping the parsley as Shiki dumped the pasta into the boiling water. “Can you grab the strainer?”

Izaya complied, setting it up in the sink then turning to hover beside Shiki as he began sauteing the vegetables. “Do you still watch cooking shows? I’ve never seen you watch any.”

“That’s because I didn’t think you’d be interested in them.” Shiki chuckled. “Sometimes. I don’t have as much time for it now as I did back then. Grab the lemon juice from the fridge.”

Izaya grabbed the lemon juice as Shiki drained the pasta. In the pot he mixed the pasta and vegetables, finishing with lemon juice, parsley, parmesan, salt and pepper. Izaya fetched plates and forks and Shiki served up the pasta. “I wouldn’t mind watching cooking shows with you.” Izaya offered as they sat down together to eat, grinning. “I’ll even offer my services as a food tester for you.”

“How generous of you,” Shiki replied with a slight smile. “I certainly have the time now. Maybe I will.”


	6. Day Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, no updates for the last two days. Life got in the way. Have some morning sex.

Shiki woke to incessant meowing and a weight on his chest. He cracked an eye open to stare balefully at Izaya's cat as it continued to complain. "Seems you've acclimatized." He gave the cat a pet. He untangled himself from blankets and Izaya, making his way to the kitchen to give the cat breakfast and start the coffee maker. Tsuki meowed his approval then set to eating. 

Shiki returned to the bedroom to find Izaya stretching and yawning. "Come back to bed."

Shiki chuckled and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I have things to do. Not everyone needs twelve hours of sleep like a cat, you know."

"Yes, somehow, despite all logic and reason, you seem convinced that the eight-hour guideline is weekly not daily," Izaya replied, sticking his tongue out. He crawled over to Shiki, draping his arms over his shoulders. "We don't have to sleep."

Shiki gave Izaya a smirk, shifting to push him down onto the bed. A hand ghosted up Izaya's side, fingertips brushing lightly over sensitive skin, causing Izaya to tense and squirm at the almost ticklish sensation. Shiki's smirk widened to a grin at Izaya's reaction. "So sensitive," He observed as he leaned in to press a soft kiss against Izaya's collarbone. His fingertips continued to explore, sliding up along Izaya's ribs, brushing over his nipple, then back down over his stomach. 

Izaya groaned, unable to stop his body from shivering at the light touches. He slid a hand down to catch Shiki's, pausing his exploration but Shiki responded by pushing his arm above his head and pinning it there. Teeth sank into flesh and Izaya gasped at the sharp pain at odds with the soft touches. 

"Haruya!" He whined as Shiki's hand drifted down over his hip then tightened his grip. 

"Don't like that?" Shiki responded with amusement, fingers tracing lazy circles over the taut skin of Izaya’s stomach as his lips drifted downward to catch a nipple in his teeth. Izaya arched into the bite, breath hitching in his throat. Shiki pulled on the nipple then let go, shifting away from Izaya to open the bedside drawer. Izaya’s gaze shifted, immediately curious to see what Shiki might be grabbing. Shiki gave him an amused grin as he handed Izaya a blindfold. He accepted it with a pout but continued to watch. “Izaya,” Shiki spoke his name with a tone that sent an entirely different kind of shiver through him. “Put it on.” 

Izaya smirked and leaned forward, dropping the mask over Shiki’s eyes. Shiki grasped his arm and pulled him forward over his lap. “I don’t want to be blindfolded,” Izaya complained as Shiki removed the mask and slipped it over Izaya’s eyes, regarding the raven with amusement. 

“I want you blindfolded.” He landed a hard, open-handed slap on Izaya’s bottom then rubbed it gently. “And you want to please me, don’t you?” 

Izaya yelped at the sting. “Actually, I want you to please me,” Izaya replied with a grin, tensing in preparation for another slap. Shiki snorted and tugged on Izaya’s hair instead, pulling another surprised yelp from him. 

“And you think playing the brat will get you that?” Shiki replied as he shifted Izaya back onto the bed. Izaya laid back, smirking as he felt Shiki grip his wrists, pulling cuffs snug then pulling them up above his head. He tugged on the restraints now connected to the headboard, the familiar anticipation causing his heartbeat to speed up. “For that, I should leave you here.” Shiki slid cuffs over his ankles next, pulling them apart to leave him tied spread eagle to the bed. Izaya’s grin wavered at the thought of being abandoned. “But I think I have a better punishment.” Izaya shivered at the ominous threat, the way Shiki’s firm voice made him feel so completely exposed, beyond the mere physical.

Shiki’s fingers once again trailed softly over the line of his stomach followed by a sensation that had him trying to move away. “No!” He protested at the persistent, soft feeling that made him twitch and jerk involuntarily. “Don’t you dare!” Shiki’s hands attacked his sides and, restrained as he was, there was no escape. He was quickly reduced to a shrieking, giggling mess and it was so much worse than if Shiki has simply ignored him. “Nooo! Haruya!” He shrieked. “Stop! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Stoooop!”

Shiki chuckled at Izaya’s desperate shrieks, punctuated by uncontrollable giggles as he desperately tried to wriggle away from his attack. He relented, rubbing his hands firmly over Izaya’s sensitive sides to ease the over-stimulation. “Who’d have thought the brat would apologize so quickly.” He teased as Izaya caught his breath.

“You’re _horrible_ ,” Izaya grumbled. “Who _tickles_ someone as punishment?”

“Well, spanking you certainly doesn’t work.” Shiki leaned down to press kisses along Izaya’s stomach, biting down on a hip. Izaya chuckled at the observation, humming softly in pleasure at Shiki’s attention. Shiki continued to press sharp bites and kisses over the canvass of Izaya’s pale skin, leaving behind trails of marks. He quickly had Izaya gasping for entirely different reasons, arching into his touch as his hand slid between Izaya’s cheeks to firmly press slick fingers inside. Those very skilled fingers eased him open and tickled an entirely different sensitive spot, drawing desperate groans from Izaya that became muffled by the press of Shiki’s lips against him. He responded to the rare gift eagerly, parting his lips to welcome Shiki’s exploration hungrily. Shiki pinched his nipple, tugging on it as he continued to coax Izaya’s body closer to release with a precision bourne of practiced intimacy. Izaya’s groans grew more desperate and his hips bucked against Shiki’s hand.

Shiki drew back, releasing the restraints on Izaya’s legs and pulling them up as he positioned himself. Izaya lifted his hips eagerly as Shiki pressed his lubed cock inside the raven, groaning at the low pressure and feeling of fullness. Shiki gripped Izaya’s ass tightly and began to thrust, slowly at first, testing Izaya’s comfort, then more rapidly as Izaya’s body eagerly welcomed his presence. He released Izaya’s ass and leaned forward, pressing one hand to the pillow beside Izaya’s head, the other pushing the blindfold up. Izaya stared up at Shiki with eyes made distant and desperate with desire. 

“Haruya,” Izaya spoke his name breathlessly as he met the other’s gaze. Shiki graced Izaya with a smirk, tracing a thumb over his lips as his thrusts grew rough and urgent.

“You’re so damn tight,” Shiki murmured, keeping their eyes locked. “That desperate look in your eyes tells me you’re close.”

“Yes…” Izaya groaned the admission. “So close… Please, Haruya…”

“Do you want to please me, Izaya?” 

“Yes, Haruya…” Izaya replied and the genuineness in his answer made Shiki smile. 

“Then come for me, Izaya.” He ordered as he shifted their angle just enough to draw a whine from the raven as the pressure of his thrusts focused over his prostate. Izaya held his gaze, panting and moaning as he was quickly forced over the edge. His hips jerked in response as the wave of pleasure broke over his body. Shiki continued to thrust as Izaya shuddered beneath him, body spasming in response to the continued pressure against that sensitive spot. A few deep thrusts into the tightness and Shiki found his own release, groaning as he pressed his forehead to Izaya’s, still gazing at him. 

They gazed at each other for a long moment, panting and limp in the wake of their mutual pleasure. Shiki finally pulled back, sliding out of Izaya with a groan. He released Izaya’s arms from restraint, then lay down beside him, gathering the raven to his side. Izaya rested his head on Shiki’s shoulder, closing his eyes with a soft sigh of satisfaction. Shiki pressed a soft kiss to Izaya’s forehead.

“Mmm. Do I smell coffee?” Izaya asked and Shiki chuckled.

“Yes, I put it on when I fed your cat.”

Izaya smirked. “Shall I fetch the holy drink, sir?” He inquired cheekily.

“In a bit,” Shiki replied, pulling Izaya closer. “I’m content with this for now.” Izaya gazed up at Shiki with a soft smile. “What’s that look for?”

“Oh, nothing. Just that my boyfriend would rather cuddle me than get his morning caffeine fix…” Izaya teased and Shiki snorted.

“Don’t worry, I won’t make a habit of it,” He replied with a smirk. “I wouldn’t want to spoil my uninvited house guest. He might take it as a sign to stay even longer.”

“You liiiike me…” Izaya replied in a singsong voice. “You don’t want me to leave. Admit it. You’d be horribly bored without me.”

“I certainly like your tight ass,” Shiki replied, earning a jab to his ribs from the raven. He chuckled in response. He laced his fingers together with Izaya’s. “It hasn’t been terrible…” That small admission brought back the soft smile and Izaya turned his head up to steal a kiss.


	7. Day Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter the Akabayashi

This was the fourth of Mikiya’s daily conference calls and the executives had all given up on formality - some more than others. Izaya had curled up on Shiki’s lap as they sat on the couch, laptop resting on the coffee table. Aozaki appeared to be sitting in his hot tub and Izaya was theorizing on whether or not the laptop would end up in the hot tub with him at some point. Akabayashi looked like he just woke up and finger-combed his hair into place. A half-drunk glass of what Shiki suspected was whiskey sat just in view of the camera. No one knew what Kazamoto looked like since he continued to keep his camera off but Shiki felt it safe to assume the lizard was probably just as casual as the rest of them. And the leader of this conference call? Well, he was currently helping Akane with... something?

“Hey, Akabaka, it’s a bit unprofessional to be drinking at work, don’t you think?” Izaya teased, leaning forward a bit to stare pointedly at the glass. Akabayashi pushed it out of the frame, giving Izaya a one-eyed glare.

“I don’t think sitting on your boss’s lap is particularly professional, Izaya. Neither is taking a bloody bath.” He grumbled, gaze shifting to Aozaki. The larger man shrugged.

“Just imagine we’re having a friendly chat at the onsen,” Aozaki responded with a grin. “Oh wait… you don’t have a hot tub cause you live in a fucking shit apartment.”

Akabayashi just rolled his eye and took a sip of his drink. “Not like these friendly little chats actually serve a purpose.”

“On that, I can agree with you,” Shiki replied. “So why don’t we run the agenda before Mikiya gets back then we can just give him the details and get back to work?”

Izaya leaned back, glancing at his phone. “Well I got Akabayashi’s list and it seems most of the girls are fine to work from home if we can get them the equipment they need. I sourced for various levels, depending on whether they just want to do phone calls or full video. Just a matter of order and delivery. Most of the girls are young so they should be able to set things up without too much trouble on their own.”

“I’ll review the numbers and give Mikiya the options I think are the best match for each girl,” Aka replied with a nod.

“I’d like to discuss the suspension of lease payments,” Kazamoto spoke up. “I know Mikiya won’t like it but I think we need to consider some leniency in the matter. Not for any of our corporate tower holdings, mind you. Just for the smaller businesses, especially the buildings that have restaurants or small retail. We have the overhead to cover it and I think it’s a better choice than evicting those businesses right now.”

Shiki exchanged a glance with Izaya then nodded. “I’ll see what I can do. Evicting them at this point wouldn’t help us anyway. There are no businesses to take their places. Aozaki, how are your men handling their new jobs?”

“They’re just happy to be doing something and the people they’re helping have been really grateful. One of the older ladies has been hand sewing masks since there’s a shortage and she’s making sure all our boys get one since we’ve been taking them over to the medical centers for her. I sent a few guys down to the food bank to help them with making up and delivering boxes. Seems demand is up with so many layoffs.”

Shiki nodded thoughtfully. “Kaz, send me a list of restaurants we have leases with. I have an idea.” 

Izaya glanced at Shiki with curiosity. “Are you-” He began but then Mikiya reappeared, giving everyone a good look at his flannel pyjama pants as he sat back down. 

“Sorry about that. Akane’s gotta do her schoolwork from home now, over the computer or some shit so I gotta cut this short.”

“Mikiya! Language!” Mikiya’s wife could be heard in the background, drawing amused grins from Akabayashi and Izaya.

“It’s no problem, sir,” Shiki replied. “We’ve already discussed the current projects and everything is progressing as planned. We will forward you the reports to review.”

“Ah… very good. I’ll look them over and we can discuss them tomorrow.” 

As the executives logged off, Izaya gave Shiki a considering look. “You’re thinking of trading that free rent for service.”

Shiki gave the very perceptive raven an approving smile. “They need a way to keep employing their people. If we subsidize their rent during this mess, they can continue to pay their staff. If their staff are _also_ cooking meals for those in need, they can write it off as charity _and_ those people will remember. They’ll come back when times are better. Benefits everyone in the long run.”

“But do you think they’ll agree? And more importantly, do you think Mikiya will agree?”

“Yes. I have no doubt the restaurants will agree because it keeps them in business when they might otherwise have to shut down. Mikiya… I’m confident I can sell it to him but if he does prove difficult, I know I can sell it to Dougen.”

Izaya chuckled. “If they gave out yakuza awards, you’d get Cleverest Executive.” He teased then grew serious. “I wouldn’t normally say this…” His gaze shifted back to the laptop. “I’m a bit worried about Akabaka.” 

Shiki studied the raven quietly for a moment before answering. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him. But yeah, I’m worried too. Invite him over, tell him you need help with something for work, whatever works to get him out of his house. I have a suspicion he’s been drinking himself stupid.”

“Because that’s what you’d be doing if I wasn’t here to keep you entertained?”

Shiki snorted. “Unlikely. Akabayashi’s an extrovert and he really doesn’t have anyone outside the clan as I understand it. This is probably hitting him a lot harder than the rest of us.”

“Make cookies.”

“What?”

“Remember that time I brought your cookies to the office?”

Shiki chuckled. “You’re suggesting we lure him over with the offer of cookies?”

“Well, maybe dinner and cookies? I doubt he’s had a decent meal since this whole thing started.”

“Fine, if you think that’ll work.”

Some hours later Akabayashi arrived bearing files Izaya had requested as an excuse, still looking like he’d just rolled out of bed. Izaya gazed at him critically.

“Have you even showered in the last week?” He asked as he let the redhead into the apartment. Akabayashi narrowed his eyes then pushed the files into Izaya’s hands.

“Of course I have.” He retorted and his words slurred a bit. Izaya arched a brow as he took the files.

“You know drinking alcohol won’t kill the virus, right?”

“I didn’t come here to listen to you criticize me, Orihara,” Akabayashi sneered.

“Sit down, Mizuki,” Shiki ordered. “Dinner is almost ready.” Akabayashi arched a brow at Shiki then discarded shoes and coat in the entry and made his way to the seldom-used kitchen table. Shiki had pulled it away from the wall since the breakfast bar only had two seats. Izaya followed behind, dropping the files on the coffee table beside his laptop before joining Shiki in the kitchen. “Have you been talking to the girls? How are they doing?”

Akabayashi gave Shiki a suspicious look. “They’ve been supporting each other. Most of them have roommates or family to stay with so they aren’t in a bad way.”

“That’s good. What about you?”

“What about me?” Akabayashi replied with irritation as Izaya placed a bowl of salad on the table. The raven sat down across from him, grinning.

“We’re going to watch the Marvel movies in order. Shiki’s never seen _any_ of them.” Izaya informed Akabayashi, shaking his head in disappointment. “You should watch with us.”

Shiki brought over a hot casserole dish of lasagna. “He says this as if everyone watches comic book movies.” 

Akabayashi looked between the two then sighed. “I see what you’re doing.”

“Feeding you dinner and inviting you to watch movies with us?” Izaya replied with an innocent smile. Akabayashi rolled his eyes and reached for the serving spoon, helping himself to a generous portion of lasagna.

“You promised me cookies, Izaya.” He pointed out with a smirk.

“After dinner.” Shiki went to the fridge for beers. 

Akabayashi grinned. “He’s really never seen _any_ of them?” Izaya nodded as he filled his own plate. “There’s what, twenty of them? That’s gonna take a while to get through.”

“Well, if we watch a couple of them every few days, we should be able to get through all of them by the time this quarantine passes.”

“Every few days, hm?” Akabayashi took a bite of the lasagna as Shiki joined them. “You know, I don’t think I’ve seen all of them either.”

Izaya grinned. “You? The hippest of the executives? Unbelievable! You absolutely have to join us now. Your reputation depends on it.”

“Not like I have anything else to do, anyway.”

“And with you around, Shiki can stop using the excuse that there’s no one to eat his baking,” Izaya added, turning his grin on Shiki.

Shiki cracked a smile. “I do have a few dessert recipes I’ve been wanting to try out.”


	8. Day Eight

“Izaya, what on earth…?” Shiki asked as he re-entered the apartment with an armful of packages.

Izaya practically bounded over the couch to take the packages from him. “Oooo packages. Exciting!” He replied as he carried them to the coffee table. 

“Did you go on an Amazon shopping spree?” 

“Maybe.” Izaya sorted through the packages, setting one larger box aside. “That should be your new laptop. I’ll set it up for you later.”

Shiki moved beside Izaya, sliding a hand in the pocket of the raven’s slacks to retrieve his pocket knife. “And the rest?”

Izaya grinned and grabbed one at random. “I’m not sure. I may have just added a bunch of stuff to my shopping cart. I don’t think this is everything, either.”

Shiki eyed the pile, arching a brow. “So impulsive.” He sat beside the raven, reaching for the boxed laptop and cutting it open as Izaya opened his first package. He pulled out several pairs of what looked to be underwear with a smirk. “You couldn’t run back to your place? Or do some laundry?” 

“These are the fun kind.” Izaya held up one pair to reveal how little there was to them. Shiki gave him a considering look.

“Model them?” 

Izaya smirked. “After I sort my mail.” He reached for another package as Shiki returned his focus to unboxing the laptop and various accessories that Izaya appeared to have ordered with it.

“This is a lot more than a laptop, Izaya.”

“If you’re going to work from home, you should have a proper set up for your office,” Izaya replied with a sniff. “You’ll see. Once I set it all up for you, you’ll appreciate it.” He emptied the next package onto the table, scattering an assortment of cat toys across it. 

“Ah yes, it wouldn’t be a proper shopping spree if you didn’t spoil your cat too.” Shiki set aside the laptop to sort through the toys, finding a box of silvervine sticks. As soon as he opened the package, Tsuki appeared from whatever spot he had found to hide in. Four days of roaming Shiki’s apartment had made him less skittish. Shiki held out the stick and Tsuki immediately began to lick at it and paw at the executive’s hand. Shiki relinquished it, watching Tsuki flop under the table and continue licking and chewing vigorously. 

Izaya had moved on to another box while he played with the cat, eyes lighting up as he pulled back the flaps. Shiki smiled at Izaya’s reaction, turning his gaze to the contents. “I thought these wouldn’t come in until next week.” He began to pull books out of the box, stacking them on the table. Shiki counted twelve by the time he was done.

“I think you have a problem.”

“I’ve seen your bookshelves. You can’t judge.”

“I don’t usually buy this many at once.”

“Usually?” Izaya accused him with a smirk. Shiki smirked back, shrugging. He examined the pile then immediately liberated one of the books, intrigued. 

“I didn’t know you liked historical fiction.” Izaya attempted to reclaim the book but Shiki held it away from the raven.

“It sounded interesting,” Izaya replied evasively. “I picked up Yokoyama’s new book.”

Shiki ignored Izaya’s obvious attempt at distracting him. “I suppose with your love of mythology, historical fiction wouldn’t be too far of a stretch. This one looks interesting. Set in Ireland? I don’t know much about Irish history…” 

Which was, of course, more than enough to get Izaya talking. “This series takes place very early in Irish history. It’s almost more mythology than history in some ways. The author really weaves together the Irish folk tales with their actual history. They talk about the faeries, like Celty, except in Irish mythology, they weren’t always called faeries. They were believed to be an entirely separate race of people called the Tuatha de Danaan… I might be mispronouncing it. Gaelic is weird. Did you know that we’ve all been pronouncing Celty’s name wrong?”

Shiki frowned. “What do you mean?” He didn’t like the idea that he had been mispronouncing the courier’s name all this time. That would be very rude and he would need to apologize the next time he met with her.

“Well in Gaelic the letter ‘c’ has a hard sound but we’ve all been saying it with an ‘s’ sound. I asked her about it and she told me that Shingen suggested it years ago since she couldn’t remember her own name. So because Shingen didn’t know how to pronounce it properly and Celty didn’t care, we’ve all been saying it with an ‘s’ instead of a ‘k’ sound.”

“I see. So Celty is fine with it being said that way?”

“Yes. She accepted the pronunciation as Shingen suggested it.”

Shiki gave a thoughtful hum, cracking open the book. “Will it be particularly difficult to read, then?”

“The first book in the series wasn’t bad. It’s an English writer so the only thing I’m not sure on is the Irish names sometimes.”

“Do you have the first book?”

“I might have brought it with me. If not I can go get it from the apartment.” 

Shiki handed back the book. “I’ll give it a try.” 

Izaya grinned. “I didn’t think you liked historical fiction, either.” 

Shiki smiled. “You didn’t know I liked watching cooking shows either.” 

Izaya wrinkled his nose in irritation as he turned back to the packages. “Always full of surprises.” Shiki chuckled and picked a random package, dropping it in Izaya’s lap. Izaya read the label then grinned and handed it back to Shiki. “This one is for you. Perfect outfits for our movie marathons.”

Shiki gave Izaya a suspicious look as he opened the package. Izaya checked the other packages, pulling out another similarly sized one and opening it as well. Shiki pulled out the orange and black fabric, revealing a tiger kigurumi. “Really?” He gave Izaya an unimpressed look.

Izaya pulled out a black cat kigurumi and held it up with a grin. “Give it a chance. They’re really comfy and you’ll look adorable…”

“Yes, because that’s what I aspire to. Looking adorable.”

“Pleeeeeease, Haruya?” Izaya pleaded and Shiki sighed.

“You’re such a kid.”

“Lots of adults wear kigurumi.”

“Sounds questionable.”

“Just once? For me?”

“Just once.” 

Izaya beamed at Shiki’s grudging acceptance. “Don’t worry, I got one for Akabaka too.” That brought a hint of a smirk to Shiki’s lips. With Izaya’s particular sense of humour, who knows what he might have picked out for Akabayashi. That alone made it worthwhile.

“You going to be wearing your new sexy underwear too?”

Izaya gave Shiki a smirk. “Of course.”

Later that evening, Izaya was curled up on Shiki’s lap, waiting for Akabayashi to join them. He hadn’t been bothered at all by Izaya’s declaration that they wear kigurumi for their movie watching. He’d just given Izaya an amused look and taken the package into the washroom to change. 

“I have to say I’m a bit disappointed in your choice, Izaya,” Akabayashi announced as he entered the living room in his lobster kigurumi. “First of all, it’s not a crab. Second of all, it’s kind of predictable. Not that I don’t like it but I was expecting something insulting like a pink unicorn.”

Shiki snorted at the sight of Akabayashi in a lobster kigurumi.

“Well, I couldn’t find a crab one.” Izaya sniffed disdainfully. “And the point of this was not to be insulting. It was for fun.”

Akabayashi grinned as he settled on the couch. “I thought your idea of fun was finding ways to insult people.”

“Not _all_ the time.” Izaya pulled out his phone. “Selfie time!” Shiki groaned while Akabayashi leaned in. 

“I did not agree to pictures.” Shiki protested but Izaya was already snapping the photos. 

“That you agreed to this at all is amazing,” Akabayashi teased.

“He was very reluctant,” Izaya informed Akabayashi. “Now what movie are we on?”


	9. Day Nine

“I set up the balcony,” Izaya announced as he stepped inside.

“Come help me finish the bentos, then,” Shiki responded from the kitchen. “Mizuki should be back soon with the beer.”

Izaya sauntered over, peering over Shiki’s shoulder as he made onigiri. “What do you want me to do?” He asked as his fingers drifted toward the plate of tamago. 

Shiki smacked his hand then pointed to the wok. “The karaage and tempura need to be fried.”

Izaya gave a mock gasp. “You’re trusting me with hot oil?”

“Do try not to burn yourself.”

“I think I can manage.” Izaya began battering and frying the marinated chicken. “Is that everything?”

“I believe so. The karaage and tempura were last on” Shiki surveyed the various dishes of bite-sized foods he had prepared. “I may have made too much, in fact.”

Izaya gasped. “Never!” He stole a piece of pickled daikon while Shiki was distracted plating the onigiri. As Shiki carried the plates toward the balcony, Akabayashi returned.

“I smell karaage.” He announced as he kicked off his shoes and entered the kitchen. He put the case of beer on the bar then sat a fancy pastry box beside it. Izaya arched a brow.

“Dessert?” He inquired as he drained the last of the chicken and switched to the vegetables.

“Yeah, there’s a bakery just up the street that’s still open. I stopped in on the way to the liquor store and asked them if they’d make us a special box. Picked it up on the way back.”

Izaya narrowed his eyes in thought. “Oh! I know the one. They have a cafe beside them, right?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“They bake for the cafe. Sometimes I grab breakfast there… Well, I did before they closed. I’m glad the bakery is still able to stay open.”

“They told me the cafe is still offering takeout, just no dine-in.” 

“Dessert?” Shiki repeated Izaya’s question as he returned for another armful of plates. “Bring it out to the balcony.”

“The balcony?” Akabayashi followed Shiki with the beer and pastries, curious. Stepping out onto Shiki’s relatively spacious balcony, he saw that Izaya had managed to cover the space in blankets and pillows. A small space heater had been set up and small paper lanterns had been strung along the railing. “Huh. Cozy.”

Shiki chuckled. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Izaya, it’s that when he gets an idea in his head, he puts everything into it.”

“I can see that. It’s just hanami, though. And the three of us.”

Izaya appeared with the plates of karaage and tempura. “That’s all the food. Do we need to bother with plates?”

Shiki took the plates from the raven and set them down with the rest. “I don’t think so.”

Akabayashi settled onto the blanket, propping himself up on a stack of pillows. “Nah, no need.” He reached for a bottle of beer, twisting off the top. Shiki and Izaya settled together, each taking a bottle as well.

“Not how I imagined I’d be doing a cherry blossom viewing,” Akabayashi observed, turning his gaze to the trees that lined the street below Shiki’s apartment. “Guess it’s lucky you even get this much of a view.”

“It would be nicer if we could go to one of the parks,” Izaya mused. “But I wouldn’t even get this much of a view at my place. Too high up.”

“Definitely the strangest one I’ve ever attended.” Shiki raised his bottle slightly. “Kanpai.”

The other two echoed him, clinking their bottles together. They set in on the food Shiki had prepared, Izaya eating like he was half-starved as usual while Shiki and Akabayashi enjoyed the food at a more relaxed pace.

“Does he always eat like that?” Akabayashi asked with amusement.

“Yep,” Shiki answered. “One of the unsolved mysteries of Orihara Izaya. How does he manage to consume ten times as much food as everyone else and still manage to look like he lives on a diet of lettuce and water.”

“I work out.” Izaya pointed out with a smirk that faltered. “Well. I was working out. I may need to figure out an alternative.” Then he shifted his gaze to Shiki, his grin turning wicked. “I can think of one way to work out…”

Akabayashi snorted. “I bet. You’re fine to go jogging alone. Or doing your parkour shit around the city. I don’t imagine you run into many people jumping around like that.”

Izaya chuckled. “No, I don’t. Maybe I’ll take up yoga. Then I won’t have to leave the apartment at all.”

Shiki gave Izaya a considering look. “Preferable to having to explain to my neighbours why you keep climbing the balconies.”

“You actually talk to your neighbours?” Izaya gasped and Akabayashi chuckled.

“Not when I can avoid it. There is an older lady a few doors down who seems set on talking to me every chance she gets, however. She seems to be the building gossip.”

“I think I met her in the elevator the other day.” Akabayashi grinned. “She told me I looked like a no-good thug and asked if I worked for you.”

“Sounds about right,” Izaya replied with a snicker. “You weren’t exactly looking your usually well-groomed self.”

“Not like I was going anywhere important.” Akabayashi defended with a shrug. “Did you expect me to put on a suit just to bring you some paperwork?”

“No, but maybe comb your hair,” Shiki added with a hint of a smile. “And shave. Unless you _wanted_ to get mistaken for a street thug?”

Akabayashi chuckled. “It’s where I started. I’m not ashamed of it.”

“Isn’t that technically where all yakuza start?” Izaya pointed out.

“I’d say most but not necessarily all.” Shiki shook his head. “Especially with the way business has changed for us.”

“Haruya’s right. Depends on the family, too. If you’re doing the kind of jobs Aozaki’s boys do, looking like a thug is perfect. If you’re doing Haruya’s job, not so great.”

“Are you saying he doesn’t look like a yakuza thug?” Izaya asked with a snicker.

“Nah, he’s got more of a ruthless businessman air to him.”

“That’s because I am a ruthless businessman,” Shiki replied. “And why I’m in charge of the galleries.”

“And Mizuki’s in charge of the ladies cause he’s secretly a softie,” Izaya added with a smirk. 

“Softie?” Akabayashi arched a brow.

“With the ladies. They talk about how nice you are. How you make sure they’re taken care of when other bosses wouldn’t give a shit.”

“That’s just good business.” Shiki and Izaya exchanged amused looks. “Nothing wrong with looking out for them.”’

“Not at all. It _is_ good for business.” Shiki replied.

“Is that why you didn’t want to join the Awakusu back when Kine recruited you?” Akabayashi asked Izaya as he reached for the pastry box, opening it up to reveal an assortment of bite-sized treats.

“At the time that was definitely part of the reason. I also didn’t want to limit my potential client list. If I was part of a family, it would have been a lot harder to build my business. My less… criminal customers wouldn’t want to deal with the yakuza.”

“If you’re talking about the political types I wouldn’t call them less criminal.” Akabayashi laughed.

“Maybe not. Some of the things I’ve had to investigate for those types of people…” Izaya shook his head. “I’d rather work with the yakuza who tend to be honest about their business, even if it’s illegal.”

“The real question is how Haruya managed to skip the thug stage of being yakuza.” They turned their gazes on Shiki.

“I made sure Dougen was aware of my skills.”

“Vague.” Akabayashi snorted.

“Mysterious,” Izaya teased. “Haruya likes to keep his secrets.”

“Not everyone feels the need to share their life story,” Shiki responded as he took a pastry.

“It’s probably super boring anyway.” Izaya surmised with a grin.

“Probably wrote Dougen an essay.” Akabayashi joked.

Shiki snorted. “Hardly. I still had to prove myself like anyone else. I just didn’t start with shitty errand jobs and threatening people.”

“Gotta admit, you’re good at what you do.” Akabayashi acknowledged, tilting his bottle in Shiki’s direction. “So’s the little weasel.”

“Weasel?!” Izaya objected, offended. “Of all the things you could compare me to, why on earth would you choose an ugly, smelly rodent?”

“You’re right. Snake is probably a better fit.”

Izaya grinned. “I’ll accept that one.”

“Good to know that we all excel at being criminals,” Shiki added with a hint of a smile.

“Better than being boring salarymen.” Akabayashi countered with a grin.

“I can drink to that.” Izaya agreed, raising his bottle. They clinked together again, laughing and taking sips.

“Certainly the strangest hanami I’ve ever done.” Akabayashi mused.

“One I doubt any of us will forget,” Shiki observed.

“Indeed,” Izaya agreed.


	10. Day Ten

"Wake up!" The imperiousness of the voice cut straight through Akabayashi's sleep. It was completely unexpected and he wondered if that cranky old wife of the landlord had come to collect the rent. A finger poked his cheek and he moved to grab the offending digit but it quickly snaked away. He cracked his single eye open to blurrily stare at Izaya's smiling face. "Good morning, Akabaka!" 

Ah, right. He'd spent the night on Shiki's couch. Too many beers and shared conversations. He sat up, running a hand through his hair as the blanket spilled onto the floor. "Are you always this…" He waved a hand at Izaya's seemingly lively state. 

"Depends on how much sleep I get. I took your suggestion last night quite seriously." He bent to pick up the blanket, folding it neatly. Akabayashi took in Izaya's attire with a mixture of confusion and amusement. The raven had donned a pair of yoga pants that left nothing to the imagination and a crop top that barely covered his stomach. 

"Suggestion?" Akabayashi asked in confusion, eyes drifting over Izaya's backside as the raven turned around to turn on the TV. "I don't remember making any suggestions that involved you dressing like a yoga- Oh. You suggested that to yourself."

"Well, yes but you brought up the whole exercise issue. So I have decided to add this to my job as caretaker of my smoke-and-drink-too-much quarantinemates."

"Quarantinemates?" Akabayashi snorted. "You expect me to do yoga? My empty apartment is suddenly sounding very nice."

"Yoga." Izaya insisted, crossing his arms. "Then Haruya can make us breakfast."

"I appreciate how you wake me up and drag me out of bed so that you can force me to work out _and_ cook you breakfast." Shiki's dry voice came from the direction of the kitchen. 

"I'm such a devoted caretaker." Izaya beamed a smug smile at them, completely ignoring the sarcasm in Shiki's voice and the unimpressed look Akabayashi was giving him. "Now get off the couch so I can make room in front of the TV. Borrow some shorts from Shiki or something."

"Ah, yes, volunteering my wardrobe," Shiki added as Akabayashi rose with a yawn. Shiki eyed him critically "I _might_ have a pair of sweats that will fit you."

"Are you actually doing this?" Akabayashi asked, giving Shiki a critical stare. 

" _We_ are actually doing this because if we don't, he _will_ pout all day."

" _I_ can go home," Akabayashi argued, though the thought of trading a decent breakfast for whatever leftovers he might have in the fridge at home didn't sound appealing. 

Shiki's lips curved, hinting at a smile. "You can." He waited. 

Akabayashi sighed. "Fine. But only because I want breakfast. Not because I care about your pouty boyfriend."

Shiki's smile widened a fraction. He fetched Akabayashi a pair of baggy sweats and the redhead changed. 

Izaya moved the couch and table out of the way and pulled a beginner's yoga video up on the TV. He tapped the floor with a bare foot, sighing. "I'll order mats but it will probably be a couple days on the hard floor. Too bad you don't have tatami instead of hardwood."

"Yoga wasn't exactly in my priority list when I picked this apartment," Shiki replied with amusement. 

Izaya turned to the TV and started the program, standing in the middle with Shiki and Akabayashi on either side and a bit behind him. Izaya appeared to be well-versed in the basics the video led them through, easily flowing from one stretch to the next, twisting and bending in ways that distracted. 

Shiki had to exert considerable effort not to let his gaze linger on Izaya's curves, forcing his focus to the TV instead. Akabayashi made no effort at all, simply letting his gaze settle on Izaya's backside while he went through half-hearted attempts at the poses. 

Izaya gave Akabayashi a pointed look, turning around to face them with a sigh. "Is this what happens when you become executives?" He accused with a dramatic sigh. “You get lazy?”

Shiki, while not nearly as flexible as Izaya, had at least been making an attempt to follow the exercise. He snorted in amusement at Izaya’s accusation. “Mizuki seems a bit distracted.” 

Akabayashi just grinned and shrugged. “Yoga isn’t going to help me beat the shit outta people.”

Izaya crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “Yoga builds strength, flexibility and can either be relaxing or aerobic depending on how you do it.”

“Yes, you’re very flexible. “ Akabayashi commented as he sat cross-legged on the floor, still following the exercise video. “A feat I am unlikely to ever achieve.”

Izaya sighed and turned back to the TV. “If you’d put some effort into it, you could.” He scoffed.

The positions grew more challenging as they continued and Izaya’s scorn turned to amusement as he watched the two executives attempting to bend in ways they clearly weren’t capable of yet. Several times he had to stifle snickers and giggles at their attempts. By the end of the video, even Izaya’s muscles had begun to ache a bit.

Akabayashi gave a groan of relief and headed for the shower while Shiki started breakfast and Izaya reassembled the living room furniture. Soon they were gathered around the kitchen table, enjoying freshly brewed coffee, rice porridge and fresh fruit. Shiki lingered over the first few sips of his coffee, watching his houseguests attack the food with zeal, eyes creasing with amusement.


	11. Day Eleven

One of the reasons Shiki had chosen this apartment was the lack of windows in the bedroom, just one small window that looked out on the balcony area and was easily covered with a heavy shade. It lent itself better to his more nocturnal lifestyle, ensuring the sleep he did get was uninterrupted by the inconvenience of daylight. The first time Izaya had seen his bedroom, much to Shiki’s amusement, he’d asked if dungeon was the aesthetic he was going for. It hadn’t been, of course, but his minimalist choices and dark colours did leave the room feeling a bit bare. Add to it the strategically placed rings on both the bed frame and the ceiling and the room did give off a dark vibe. 

Not that it had bothered the raven in the slightest, of course. Izaya had heartily approved of the king-sized bed and the various ways Shiki had bound him to it, delighted to step into Shiki’s space, to submit to his desires. Though lately that space had begun to show signs of Izaya’s constant presence. Closet space given up to Izaya’s temporary wardrobe. Rings on the bedside table, beside a half-read paperback and one of his many cellphones. The newest addition appeared to be a collection of rose-scented candles placed about the room, bringing a slight smile to Shiki’s lips. He lit the candles and shut off the overhead light, letting the soft glow illuminate the room instead of the harsh fluorescence. 

Izaya appeared in the doorway, running a hand through his shower-damp hair as his eyes travelled first to Shiki and then to the bed. He bit his lip in anticipation, eyes widening in excitement. He moved to Shiki’s side at the edge of the bed, pressing his hands against Shiki’s bare chest as he tilted his head up for a kiss. Shiki accepted the offering, meeting Izaya’s ever-hungry lips with firmness. His hands slid to Izaya’s shoulders, pushing the robe he had stolen from Shiki off his shoulders.

“You’re such a cat.” The robe slid to the floor. Shiki’s gaze travelled over Izaya’s slender body, taking in his sharp edges and curves. “One who enjoys misbehaving a bit too much. Would there even be a point in telling you to stop stealing my clothes?” Izaya let out a soft breath, chest fluttering anxiously at the way Shiki was studying him. The way those dark eyes admired him even as they were plotting a map across his skin made him feel more exposed than the simple nudity. At another time he might respond with something bratty or flippant but pinned beneath Shiki’s gaze, he had no words. Their eyes met and his silence earned him a pleased smile from Shiki.

Shiki turned him around by the shoulders, sliding his hands down over Izaya’s arms. “Anything I should avoid?” Izaya closed his eyes and shook his head. Shiki always asked before he began, always made sure Izaya wasn’t sporting any injuries or strained muscles that might cause harm. The first step in a ritual Izaya had come to crave. Shiki drew his right arm back and the rough slide of rope kissed his skin. As the rope settled over his wrist, pulling taut, his breath quickened. Shiki drew the rope over his chest then captured his left arm, lifting it up to bend back over his shoulder. He felt the stretch in his muscles as Shiki drew the rope tight, binding his arms neatly together. Shiki slid his hands along Izaya’s upper arms, feeling the tension in the muscles.

“Too much?” He asked and Izaya shook his head once again. The arms were always first. Mostly, Izaya suspected that it was because he never kept them to himself. Shiki reached for a second bundle, moving around to his front and carefully weaving a harness over his chest and stomach, pausing to run his fingers over Izaya’s skin. Hands slid lower, drawing rope around his waist and down between his legs. Strategic knots snugly trapped his balls and cock causing him to shift at the feeling. Shiki pinched a nipple, drawing a gasp from Izaya. “Stop fidgeting, Izaya.” Izaya bit his lip and stilled his shifting legs.

Shiki pinched Izaya’s nipple once more then turned his gaze to one of the rings in the ceiling. Izaya followed his gaze, watching as Shiki slid rope through the ring and connected it to the harness, pulling Izaya onto his toes. Izaya’s breath quickened as Shiki tested his balance, forcing him to focus on not twisting too far in the ropes. Shiki gave him an amused smile as he crouched, running his hands over Izaya’s left leg. Rope slid around his ankle, then another encircled his knee. As Shiki rose, hand pulling at the ropes, he gave another order. “Leg up.” 

Izaya groaned at the command. “I won’t be able to balance.” He admitted but Shiki merely slid a hand over his ass and gave it a squeeze.

“The rope will hold you. Lean into it.” Izaya reluctantly lifted his left leg, leaning to the right as Shiki slid a hand along it, pushing it up as he fed the ankle rope through the ring. As the rope pulled taut Izaya gave a groan, feeling the stretch along his groin. “Too much?” Shiki asked as he fastened the rope connected to Izaya’s knee to the harness where his left arm was pinned. Izaya shook his head but Shiki grabbed his chin. “Izaya.” He warned.

“It’s more than I’m used to,” Izaya spoke reluctantly.

“Can you hold it for a little while?” Izaya nodded and Shiki caressed his cheek. Shiki stepped back, admiring his handiwork as Izaya kept very still, focused on his precarious balance. Shiki let one hand caress the taut muscles of Izaya’s stomach, feeling the quiver of strain in them. “So determined to please me.” He murmured as he noted the quick rise and fall of Izaya’s chest. He slid his hand down to caress Izaya’s right leg, rope encircling his thigh. He drew Izaya’s foot up, removing his lone point of balance. Izaya let out a shaky breath as the harness pulled, taking on all of his weight. His stomach fluttered nervously as Shiki bound his foot to the back of his thigh. The position relieved the tight pull on his left leg but left him feeling completely vulnerable, completely caught in the rope web Shiki had spun around him. 

Shiki stepped back again, this time to pull out his phone and take several pictures of the suspended raven as Izaya closed his eyes, focusing on breathing through the terrifying feeling of helplessness that always rose. Shiki caressed Izaya’s cheek, dropping his phone on the bed as he leaned in to capture Izaya’s lips in a kiss. “So beautiful,” he murmured against Izaya’s lips. “Your trust is a gift, Izaya.” Izaya shuddered at Shiki’s soft-spoken words, fear receding. With Shiki’s firm touch at his hip, lips pressed to the line of his neck, he let go. Shiki kept a hand on his hip as he reached for one last length of rope, tying Izaya’s right leg to a ring at the base of the bed to keep him from spinning in the ropes. He picked up a thin headed crop and Izaya’s breath quickened once more, this time in excitement. As Shiki circled around behind him, Izaya’s body tensed in anticipation. The first blow, expected yet still a surprise, landed with a sting that drew a yelp from Izaya. More followed, along his thighs and across his ass, some just a gentle tap while others painted stinging red welts across his pale skin. Shiki would pause to gently caress the stinging skin then settle into another round of stinging strikes. Izaya very quickly succumbed to the unpredictable rhythm, the pain and heat drawing out his voice in sharp cries that made Shiki smile. 

“Your skin turns such a beautiful shade of red.” Shiki murmured as he drew his hand over Izaya’s reddened behind. Fingers slid down to tug on the rope running between Izaya’s cheeks, causing one of the knots to rub the skin between his balls and his ass. Izaya groaned at the feeling, too rough and yet for him still pleasurable. Shiki wrapped an arm around Izaya’s waist as a cool splash of lube trickled over his ass, sliding down along the line of the rope. Deft fingers followed, pressing inside slowly. Teeth dragged along Izaya’s neck, biting down at the curve and drawing a shuddering moan from the raven.

“Haruya…” Izaya moaned his name breathlessly. The arm at Izaya’s waist slid up to wrap around Izaya’s throat as Shiki’s fingers continued to move in him. Izaya gasped, eyes fluttering shut at the unexpected pressure. 

“Relax.” Shiki’s voice, firm and soothing at his ear. Izaya let out a soft sigh, focusing on the pleasure that Shiki’s touch awakened in him, on the light-headed feeling that came with the short breaths he was taking, on the growing _need_ that made his hips jerk. “Perfect.” Shiki’s soft praise made him shudder as hands drew away. Izaya was left feeling hyper-aware of the sensations now gone as Shiki turned his attention to the process of loosening the knots and unwinding the rope. The careful process of freeing him from the web made the raven whine impatiently, earning him a stinging slap on his ass for his complaints. As the ropes fell away, pooling around Izaya’s feet, Shiki tumbled him onto the bed, pressing a knee between Izaya’s legs as he lowered his head to trace kisses and bites over the rough red marks the ropes had left behind. Izaya groaned and ran his hand through Shiki’s hair.

“Haruya, please,” Izaya moaned impatiently, earning a particularly sharp bite from Shiki.

“Move up,” Shiki ordered as he drew back, shedding his jeans before joining Izaya on the bed. Izaya obeyed, laying back as he watched Shiki approach. Shiki knelt and drew the raven’s legs up as he slowly pressed inside. Izaya groaned at the feeling, lifting his hips into Shiki’s slow movements. As Izaya’s body relaxed into the rhythm, Shiki wrapped an arm around Izaya’s waist and pulled him up so they were both sitting. Izaya wrapped his arms around Shiki’s neck as Shiki stroked his cock and began to thrust urgently. 

Izaya arched his back, gasping at the rapid pace Shiki set. He tilted his head down, seeking sloppy, impatient kisses from Shiki as the thrusts pushed him rapidly over the edge. He shuddered at the waves of pleasure that rolled through him, gasping and whimpering as Shiki continued to thrust deep until he’d found his own release. They stayed locked together for a long moment, breath coming in soft pants as they indulged in soft, slow kisses. Shiki finally drew back, lifting Izaya off his cock. Izaya let himself fall back onto the bed with a satisfied sigh. Shiki stretched out beside him, drawing the raven into the circle of his arms. Fingertips traced idly over the patterns the rope had left in Izaya’s skin as he pressed a soft kiss to the raven’s forehead. “You did very well.” He praised and Izaya gave a soft sigh of satisfaction at the words.

“Haruya I-” He began, then paused as if to rethink his words. “Thank you.”

Shiki gave Izaya a warm smile. “You’re welcome, Izaya.”


	12. Day Twelve

“What’s on the menu tonight?” Akabayashi inquired as he entered the apartment, sniffing the air. “Something baked?”

“That’s dessert,” Shiki replied from the kitchen. “Dinner is just seared tuna steaks and barbecued vegetables.”

“ _Just_?” Akabayashi snorted in amusement. He settled on one of the stools, glancing around. “Where’s Izaya?”

“He appropriated my office. Something about a job he just couldn’t turn down.”

Akabayashi arched a brow. “What kind of job could he possibly do when he’s not supposed to be socializing?”

Shiki gave Akabayashi a slight smile. “Research related. He didn’t give me specifics but if I were to guess, I’d say it has something to do with history, mythology or some mix of the two.”

“Why?” Akabayashi asked as he watched Shiki searing the tuna steaks in a pan. 

“Izaya majored in folklore and mythology in college.” 

“I thought he did psychology.” 

“I did both. Double major.” Akabayashi and Shiki turned to look at Izaya as he padded barefoot across the floor to join them, sniffing the air with curiosity. “Something… Apples?”

“Baked apples? Pie?” Akabayashi followed up, shifting his gaze back to Shiki.

“Close.” Shiki handed Akabayashi the plate of steaks. “Izaya, plates.” He ordered the raven as he took the vegetables off the small raclette grill. Izaya’s eyes settled on the tuna steaks and he grinned and moved to the cupboard. 

“So, what kind of research job did you take?” Akabayashi asked as he took the tuna to the table. 

Izaya followed with the plates while Shiki turned off the stove and brought the vegetables and rice. “A client who wanted a comparative summary of various folklores that would fall under the general category of human shapeshifters. Basically the client wants categories of anything involving people who turn into animals or vice versa; werewolves, kitsune, Native American skinwalkers, Celtic selkies or even gods who were known to take on animal form, like Loki or Zeus.”

Akabayashi stared at Izaya in confusion. “I regret asking.”

Izaya sighed as he filled his plate. “This is why you ended up in the yakuza,” He observed sagely. “No education and too much anger.” He shook his head, affecting an air of disappointment.

“Even if I’d been able to go to college, I wouldn’t have studied mythology,” Akabayashi replied with a shrug, smirking at Izaya’s attempt to tease him.

“What would you have studied if you’d had the chance?” Izaya asked, curious. 

Akabayashi thought about it as he filled his own plate and began eating. “I don’t know. I never gave it any thought because I knew it just wasn’t an option. Business maybe? What about you, Haruya?” They both fixed their gazes on Shiki.

“History,” Shiki replied without having to think about it. “Unfortunately, it’s not really a major that has a lot of job potential so it’s probably a good thing I didn’t go to college.”

“Ooo you could have become a history professor,” Izaya smirked. “I wonder, would you still wear white suits?”

“Of course he would.” Akabayashi grinned. “He’d be the most hated prof at the university. All the students would complain that he’s too much of a perfectionist and he marks too hard.”

Izaya laughed at the suggestion, nodding aggressively. “Definitely fits.”

Shiki arched a brow. “I was never interested in teaching. What would you have done with a business degree?”

Akabayashi shrugged. “Maybe open a bar? Run a pachinko parlour?” He joked.

Izaya gave him an amused look. “You could open a bar without a business degree.”

“Good point. No need to spend all that money on school. What about you, Izaya? If you hadn’t gotten tangled up with the yakuza, what would you have done?”

Izaya smirked. “If I had to have a proper career? Maybe I would have become a criminal psychologist. That might have been entertaining.”

“Not a regular psychologist?”

Izaya shook his head. “Listening to people talk about their boring day-to-day problems? No thanks. My wife won’t sleep with me. My husband is never home. My boss keeps passing me over for promotion. Having to sit there and pretend to care every day… Sounds tedious.”

Akabayashi chuckled. “I never figured you for antisocial.”

“I’m not antisocial.” Izaya sounded offended. “I just prefer the company of interesting people.”

“Like professional criminals?”

Izaya smirked. “Anyone whose moral compass is skewed enough to consider criminal activities as a good career choice is guaranteed to be interesting.” He paused, gazing at Akabayashi. “Well… the ones who aren’t just thugs anyway…”

Akabayashi gave Izaya a feral grin. “Thugs have their place. Not all of them are boring or stupid. Some of them just like the violence.”

“Like you?”

“I get the feeling you’re not as opposed to it as you like to pretend.”

Shiki gave a hint of a smile at Akabayashi’s observation, watching Izaya’s gaze slide away from the redhead. “I don’t think anyone with a genuine dislike of violence would be working for the yakuza.”

“Violence has its place,” Izaya replied with a grin. “Like in ridiculous superhero movies. Which one are we on?”

Shiki rose and collected the plates, stacking them by the sink. “I thought you were the one keeping track.”

“Last one we watched was Thor.” Akabayashi supplied. 

“Avengers next, then. Coffee with dessert?” He rose and moved to the coffee maker while Shiki removed the dessert from the oven.

“I’ll set up the movie.” Akabayashi moved to the living room, settling on the couch to set up the movie. Shiki and Izaya followed with plates of apple crisp and cups of coffee. Shiki settled on the opposite end with Izaya in the middle, leaning into Shiki as he pressed his bare feet against Akabayashi’s thigh. Akabayashi arched a brow at him but he just grinned back.

“Start the movie. This is where things start to really pick up.”


	13. Day Thirteen

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The soft fall of rain beat a steady rhythm against the windows, the thick gray clouds leaving the   
outside world looking dismal. On the other side of the glass, the living room was lit by soft   
lamplight and enveloped in a comfortable silence as the residents of Shiki’s apartment sat   
together, enveloped in their individual tasks. 

Akabayashi sat on one end of the couch with his feet resting on Shiki’s coffee table, flipping   
through a stack of the most recent idol magazines he’d picked up at the grocery store. Shiki had   
taken the other end, originally working on his laptop but had reluctantly given up on work when   
Tsuki had decided to flop down on Shiki’s lap, laptop and all. He’d traded the computer for a   
paperback novel, leaving his lap accessible to both cats. Izaya had curled up between the two   
of them, head resting on Shiki’s thigh and legs resting across Akabayashi’s lap. Akabayashi had   
given Izaya a look but the raven had just smirked back and opened his book. 

This companionable silence might have continued well into the evening if not for Izaya’s   
stomach which choice to announce quite clearly that it was well past dinner. Both Shiki and   
Akabayashi glanced at Izaya who made a face. “Biological alarm clock.” Akabayashi teased and   
Shiki snorted. 

“I want sushi,” Izaya declared, putting his book down and digging his phone out of his pocket. 

“When don’t you want sushi?” Shiki observed. 

Akabayashi turned his attention back to his magazine with a shrug. “Ask Simon to send sake.” 

“Is that all?” Izaya prodded Akabayashi’s thigh with his foot as he pulled up the site. “Just sake   
for dinner?” 

“If I get hungry, I’ll just steal from whatever you order.” Izaya chuckled at Akabayashi’s response   
then shifted his gaze up to Shiki. 

“You know what I like,” Shiki responded without looking away from his book. 

“Are you sure you want to leave me in charge of such an important decision?” Izaya joked as he   
browsed the menu, selecting a variety of items. 

“We’re putting a lot of faith in you. Don’t screw it up.” Akabayashi gave his leg a patronizing pat.   
“If you do, you’re voted out of the apartment.” 

Shiki snorted. “Harsh punishment. I’d have suggested that he has to cook dinner until he   
regains our trust.” 

“Can he even cook? Isn’t that why he’s hiding over here instead of in his palatial apartment?” 

“I can cook,” Izaya protested. “You’re the one who’s here for the food. I’m here for the-” Shiki   
covered Izaya’s mouth with his hand, making Akabayashi laugh. 

“Speaking of,” Akabayashi grinned. “I’m thinking of starting a betting pool on whether or not   
Akane’s going to have a little sister on the way.” 

“You know, Mizuki, there are some things I prefer not to know about my boss,” Shiki replied   
though lines of amusement creased his eyes. Izaya licked his hand and his gaze flickered down   
to the raven, promptly wiping his hand across Izaya’s cheek. 

“What are we betting on? When will the baby arrive? Because I don’t think it’s an if…” 

“I don’t know…” Shiki mused. “Imagine being trapped in the house all day with him. His wife   
might not be feeling very charitable.” 

Akabayashi chuckled. “Good point.” 

“Imagine him trying to manage the house. Reading parenting magazines. Trying to cook for   
them. Doing the housework.” Izaya mused, entertained by the image of the tough-as-nails   
yakuza heir turning into a doting house husband with too much time on his hands. “If his wife   
murders him, how would that affect the inheritance? Would Dougen give it to her?” 

Akabayashi grinned at Izaya’s suggestion. “She’s too soft-hearted for murder. Might tell him to   
go sleep at the office though.” 

“Have you noticed that he’s been more relaxed on the calls?” Shiki mused, finally putting down   
his book. “I think this lockdown has been good for him. Spending more time with his family.” 

“Yeah, when I sent him the cost report for the girls’ new setups he didn’t argue at all.”   
Akabayashi agreed. 

“Makes sense,” Izaya continued, sitting up and arching his back like a cat. “He only ever wanted   
to be a family man, right? With the world on pause and the rest of you taking care of most of the   
work, he gets to do just that.” 

Akabayashi watched Izaya stretch with a smirk. “If it makes my job easier he can stay home   
every day.” 

Izaya met Akabayashis\’s gaze with a grin as he withdrew his legs, getting up. “Sounds boring.”   
He moved to the kitchen to fetch plates and cups. “Where’s the fun in that kind of life?” 

“I don’t know,” Akabayashi replied, a hint of wistfulness in his voice. “Having a family doesn’t   
sound boring at all.” 

Izaya tilted his head slightly, surprised by the admission. Not that Akabayashi felt that way, that   
much he had already known, but that he would admit it to them. “I meant staying home all day,”   
Izaya replied as he returned, staring pointedly at Akabayashi’s feet still resting on the coffee   
table. “It’s been barely two weeks and I already hate it.” 

Akabayashi chuckled as he removed his feet from the table and tidied his stack of magazines.   
Shiki picked up his laptop, returning it to his office, making more room. 

“You hated it after the third day.” Shiki teased Izaya as a knock sounded, announcing the   
delivery of dinner. He collected the bags of sushi from Simon, bringing them to the table. “Were   
you planning to feed an army?” 

“Mizuki is an army,” Izaya replied with a smirk. “And I don’t want him stealing my fatty tuna.” 

“For that, I’m going to make sure I steal your fatty tuna,” Akabayashi replied as he reached for   
the sake bottle, pouring three glasses. “Another movie or…?” 

“Oh!” Izaya grinned. “There’s a new cooking show that Haruya was interested in. It airs tonight.” 

“Cooking show?” Akabayashi arched a brow. “Is that how you learned to cook?” 

Shiki nodded, spreading out the takeout boxes. “My deepest secrets revealed by a too talkative   
informant.” 

Izaya reached for the remote, turning on the TV and flipping to the appropriate channel. “Should   
be starting soon.” 

They set to eating, waiting for the show to start. Once it did, Shiki’s attention was locked on the   
show and it didn’t take long before he was giving a running commentary that swung between   
explaining to them how certain things worked and yelling at the competitors for their mistakes.   
Izaya and Akabayashi exchanged amused looks at this very different side of Shiki.

Izaya leaned into Akabayashi. “We are the only two people to ever have witnessed this.” He murmured with a grin.

“If not for this lockdown, I suspect we never would have gotten the chance,” Akabayashi replied.

“Truly a special moment.”

“Definitely not one I’ll forget.”

Shiki gave them both a cool look. “You can always feed yourselves.”

Izaya gave him a horrified look. Akabayashi just snorted in amusement. “Don’t worry, Haruya. Your secret is safe with us.” He replied with a wink.

“Yeah,” Izaya agreed. “No one would believe us anyway…”

▲  
Toggle screen reader support


	14. Day Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They have reached the two-week mark and no one has tried to kill anyone! XD

“Is everyone connected?” Mikiya asked, leaning forward to peer at his laptop screen. “Orihara? Why are you with Shiki?”

Izaya and Shiki exchanged a long look and Akabayashi snorted from the kitchen table. “I’ve been here the whole week, sir.” 

“Right, I forgot you were helping Shiki.” Mikiya continued with a frown. “Anyway, I wanted to talk about this article I read about measuring productivity for work-from-home employees.”

Aozaki groaned. “Mikiya, my boys can’t do their jobs like usual. There’s no productivity to measure. And it’s gonna be like that for a while.”

“And the girls’ productivity is guaranteed through transactions,” Akabayashi pointed out. “The gallery workers are working the online sales angle but it’s not as if the galleries are significant income when they’re open anyway.”

“The galleries do adequately and require minimal staff to operate, regardless of the lockdown situation.” Shiki narrowed his eyes, studying Mikiya. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know that,” Mikiya responded with a grunt, looking displeased with their responses. “As I was saying the article focused on setting weekly focuses instead of metrics and allowing flexibility on deadlines. I’ve decided we should implement these methods for any of the work-from-home employees going forward with only weekly reports required instead of the previous daily reports I was requesting.”

“He’s annoyed because he wanted to be the one to share this revolutionary knowledge,” Izaya murmured in Shiki’s ear.

“Yes, of course, sir,” Shiki replied, repressing a smile at Izaya’s observation. “Very good advice. Will you be sending out a memo on the subject?”

“I’ll leave that to you.”

“Mikiya are you done with your call? I need your help.” Mikiya’s wife’s voice interrupted.

Mikiya’s frown deepened. “Shit. I guess I’ll have to cut this call short. I’ll forward you all the article with the guidelines. If you need to discuss anything, just send me an email and we can talk about it tomorrow.”

“Of course, sir,” Shiki replied and the executives waited for Mikiya to hang up.

“What kind of fucking trash was that?” Aozaki grumbled.

“The usual waste of time where he tells us things we already know,” Akabayashi replied with a shrug. “Not all that strange.”

“A bit out of left field, though,” Izaya pointed out.

“Kaz, is this about your employees?” Shiki asked on a hunch.

“Ehehehe.” The lizard’s chuckle came over the line. “Since the only significant number of office workers are centralized around the office workers who deal with the paper-pushing, real estate, and legal and I seem to have been relegated to that mess… He was being annoying, asking for daily reports from everyone, pushing for regulated schedules and checkpoints. So I made sure to forward every single daily report from every work-from-home employee directly to him.”

Akabayashi chuckled. “That’s one way of dealing with a micromanager.”

“I’d have just told him to fuck off,” Aozaki grunted.

“Well we can’t all be Dougen’s favourite,” Akabayashi sneered.

“Yeah, some of us have no balls.” Aozaki shot back.

“Works in our favour.” Shiki interrupted the beginnings of an insult war. “How are the restaurants doing with the rent relief plan?”

“Most of them have taken the deal so far. A few haven’t responded yet. One of the izakaya owners I was talking with is running into a different problem. He’s doing take-out and delivery only now but doesn’t have enough delivery workers. If Ao’s got a couple men to spare, he offered to feed them in exchange for a few hours of work in the evenings.”

“None of my boys are gonna turn down a free meal,” Aozaki replied with a grin.

“Speaking of charity work, some of the girls brought a suggestion to me.” Akabayashi grinned. “The girls are from one of the soaplands over by the kabuki theatre. They get a lot of business from the actors but with the lockdown, it sounds like the theatre might go under. They want to raise funds to help the theatre.”

“What are they suggesting?” Shiki asked.

“They’re asking us to shift the payout so that a portion of the profits of their work goes to a fund for the theatre. Fifty-fifty share.”

“I’m hesitant to agree but only because we don’t have a solid view of how much profit they’re making with this new setup,” Kazamoto replied. “The first week has been pretty stable but we still need to offset the initial cost of setting them up.”

“The profit margin on their work has always been high,” Akabayashi pointed out. “Maybe not as high as in-person services but there’s a whole lot of bored single guys in lockdown right now who want to scratch that itch.”

“Especially the cam girls,” Izaya backed Akabayashi. “I suggest raising their rates a bit. Not as much as they would make in person, of course. You’ll lose business if you do that but more than the average cam girl would make. If you do it while also advertising the charity fund, your clients will think they’re jerking off for a good cause.”

Shiki gave an amused snort. “Use that as your slogan, Akabayashi.”

“If it sells…” Akabayashi replied with a chuckle.

“I guess we’ll give it a try,” Kazamoto replied with some reluctance. “But if it ends up costing us money, we’ll have to axe it.”

“Anything else?” Shiki asked and the executives shook their heads. “Good. Until tomorrow, gentlemen.” 

Izaya leaned forward to disconnect the call then turned around to look at Akabayashi over the back of the couch. “When did you start caring about charitable works?”

“I’ve never had a problem with doing a little good for people who need it. Besides, the girls were really upset. I guess the actors like to gift them with free tickets to see the shows. The government’s been slow as shit on this stuff. Lotta good businesses are going to go under because of it. If we can help, why shouldn’t we? If we can send Ao’s boys to make deliveries to old folks, we can raise a bit of money for a local theatre.”

Izaya was watching him with delight and curiosity. “Fascinating.” Shiki listened to their conversation in silence.

Akabayashi frowned. “How is that fascinating? It just makes sense.”

“You don’t think charity from an organization that literally threatens people for money is a bit strange?”

Akabayashi shrugged. “Maybe it is but it’s not like we threaten the civilians most of the time. Hell, without them we wouldn’t be in business. Only fair to repay that when it’s needed.”

Izaya snickered. “Ethical crime lords. Most clans just do it for the good publicity, you know.”

“We’re not most clans.” Their eyes met and Akabayashi’s sincerity shone in his eyes. “There’s a time for breaking kneecaps and a time for protecting people. Much as I’d like to punch some of the politicians and businessmen for their shitty decisions right now, I can’t. So I gotta do something with this pent up aggression.”

“You going to jerk off for charity?” Izaya asked with a catlike smirk. Shiki turned to look at Izaya with amusement.

Akabayashi arched a brow then grinned. “I’m their boss. That would be unprofessional. I don’t need a cam girl, anyway. I can just watch you do your yoga in the morning.”

Izaya’s eyes widened slightly at Akabayashi’s rebuttal, smirk growing wider. “Should I lose the yoga pants, Mizuki?”

“Do you really need to ask?” Akabayashi replied.

Shiki snorted. “As if he needs more encouragement to wander around half-dressed.”


	15. Day Fifteen

Izaya yawned sleepily as he walked into the kitchen, a pair of loose fitting boxers sitting low on his hips. He pulled a travel mug out of the cupboard and poured freshly brewed coffee into it. "I don't see why it has to be so early."

Shiki donned his white suit jacket for the first time in two weeks. He stepped behind Izaya, sliding a hand down to give the raven's barely clad ass a squeeze. "First of all, it's not that early, you've just gotten used to sleeping in." He kissed the line of Izaya's neck as the raven leaned into him. "Secondly, we set the meeting up early because meeting in the evening on empty streets because all the bars and restaurants are closed is asking for police attention."

"Mmm," Izaya replied, turning his head to the side to steal a kiss. Shiki graced the raven with a lingering series of kisses. 

"If you're going for a morning quickie, could you not block the coffee maker?" Akabayashi asked with a smirk as he reached around Shiki to claim the tumbler Izaya had filled. 

"Hey!" Izaya broke the kiss to give Akabayashi an indignant look. "That was for Haruya."

"Which he had plenty of time to claim but decided to fondle you instead." Akabayashi retorted then took a sip. 

Shiki reached up to grab another tumbler, pressing Izaya against the counter as he did. "Try to behave while I'm gone." He murmured as he poured the coffee. 

"Yes, sir," Izaya chirped with a mock-innocent smile. Shiki gave his ass one more firm squeeze then collected his coffee and headed off to the meeting. Apparently certain aspects of smuggling needed to be done in person and no silly pandemic was going to get in the way of very lucrative and highly illegal business deals.

Left to his own devices, alone for the first time in two weeks, the first thing he did was take a long, hot bath. He sat in the not-nearly-large-enough-for-his-taste bathtub, reading a paperback until the water grew cold. It was something he hadn’t indulged in since invading Shiki’s apartment, being more conscientious of the shared space but also content to do his reading curled up in Shiki’s lap. He had to admit, as he climbed out of the bath and began to dry himself off, that while the circumstances were hardly ideal, he was enjoying staying with Shiki. 

Though he did miss his windows. And much larger bathroom. But convincing Shiki to come stay with him during the quarantine would have been nigh-impossible. Easier to invade his space, though with Akabayashi now visiting more often than not, the apartment was definitely feeling a bit too small. He pursed his lips thoughtfully as he blow-dried his hair, contemplating the redhead. They had invited him over out of concern and Izaya had been relatively good about not bickering with Akabayashi like he usually would. Not that they didn’t bicker, of course, but it was less sharp, a friendlier kind of teasing. He was surprised to find that the redhead wasn’t terrible company when they weren’t actively trying to annoy each other. Akabayashi had always been interesting in that odd way that Izaya ranked the people around him, but now he was beginning to think he might actually _like_ the man.

 _What an awful thought._ Izaya chastised himself. _Lockdown must be getting to me. I miss people-watching._

He got dressed in a pair of loose-fitting harem pants and a too-large t-shirt clearly swiped from Shiki’s dresser, settling on the couch with his laptop to do some work. Quarantine hadn’t really stopped clients from sending him requests but many of them were simply not possible within the confines of the lockdown rules. If he had been stuck alone in his apartment, he probably would have taken some of the jobs out of sheer boredom but staying with Shiki meant he couldn’t risk it. He sorted through the job requests, content to accept the ones he could do, the lure of entertainment not yet strong enough to sacrifice being able to spend time with Shiki. _Besides,_ he thought, _there are no people to watch right now._

Shiki returned from the meeting in the early afternoon. Izaya watched him cross the apartment with appreciation. Shiki arched a brow at him. “What? Can’t I appreciate my well-dressed partner?You haven’t worn a suit in two weeks.” He defended with a grin as Shiki shrugged off the suit jacket and laid it over the back of a chair. 

“I didn’t realize your kinks include suits,” Shiki teased as he moved to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of whiskey then take a seat in the chair.

Izaya smirked. “Not suits. _You_ in a suit. There’s something very ‘please fuck me daddy’ about you in a suit.”

Shiki snorted, taking a sip of his drink as he gazed at Izaya. “Care to rephrase that?”

Izaya closed his laptop and placed it on the coffee table, smirking at Shiki. “Please fuck me daddy…” He repeated in a breathy voice.

“Not if you’re going to ask like that.” 

Izaya pouted playfully, sauntering over to Shiki and straddling his lap. “Please, Haruya?” He purred and Shiki smirked.

“Maybe later, brat.”

Izaya grinned, reaching up to undo Shiki’s tie. “How did your super important meeting go?”

“Smoothly. It’s strange to see Tokyo so quiet.” 

“Mmm.” Izaya agreed, sliding the tie off and draping it around his own neck. “The last time I went to the store, it was unnerving. Barely any traffic or people. Not even any students wandering around. Did Akabaka go home?”

“Yeah. He wanted to change.”

“He’s not as annoying as I expected him to be.”

Shiki gave him an amused look. “Amazing what you can learn about a person when you’re not trying to antagonize them.”

Izaya wrinkled his nose. “He was just as antagonistic. Do you think this helped him?”

“Yes, I would definitely say so. I’d say his opinion of you has changed too.” 

Izaya grinned. “Of course. I’m amazing. Who wouldn’t like me?” He joked. “What about your opinion of him? You’ve always been suspicious of him.”

“Suspicious of his motives.” Shiki corrected. “And I still am, as far as business is concerned.” He paused contemplatively. “On a personal level, I don’t mind him.”

Izaya chuckled. “You don’t mind him? What a glowing endorsement.”

Shiki smiled. “As glowing as yours was. I know where you’re going with this.”

“And?”

“And I think it’s a bad idea.”

“But I’m curious. It could be fun.”

“I’m sure it will be. Then what?”

“Then we talk about it with him. You can’t tell me you aren’t interested.”

Shiki studied Izaya for a long moment then nodded. “Fine, we can talk to him.” Izaya grinned and leaned forward for a kiss. Shiki pressed a finger against his lips. “Remember, this was your suggestion. No getting jealous.”

Izaya nipped at Shiki’s finger. “Of course not.”


	16. Day Sixteen

“I can’t believe it’s only been two weeks. Feels longer.” Akabayashi settled on the couch, passing beers to the other two. 

Izaya wrinkled his nose in irritation. “Don’t remind me. Still a ways to go before they lift the restrictions.”

“Based on the predictions, we won’t see any large scale events this summer at all.” Shiki agreed.

“Damn. No Ruri for months.” Akabayashi stared at his beer woefully. 

“A bunch of music labels are trying to plan stream events.” Izaya consoled him with amusement. “I’m sure Ruri’s label will do something. I’m more disappointed at the delays in the spring season of anime.”

“Yeah, I don’t get that. Can’t animators just work from home or keep distance from each other?”

“There’s more to animation than just the drawing. The voice actors usually do their readings together and the studios aren’t large enough to really maintain distance. I read an article about it recently.”

“So it’s the voice actors? They can’t read lines from home?”

Izaya snickered. “You remember how much you spent on your cam girls?”

“Yeah…”

“High end recording tools would cost a lot more. But even if they had those setups at home, they lose the interaction between actors.”

“Good thing publishing isn’t suffering,” Shiki spoke. “I don’t have to worry about a shortage of books.”

“Just bookshelves.” Izaya grinned.

“So what movie are we watching tonight?” Akabayashi asked. Izaya and Shiki exchanged a look then Izaya turned a smirk on Akabayashi which immediately made the redhead suspicious. 

“We want to do something else tonight,” Izaya replied and, quick as a cat, he was sliding into Akabayashi’s lap, straddling him. 

“Talk first, Izaya.” Shiki chided the raven. 

“I _am_ talking.” Akabayashi arched a brow, gazing between the two seriously as Izaya continued. “You’re interested.” He declared.

Akabayashi snorted at the statement. “You think so?” He chuckled, leaning forward to put his bottle on the table. He snaked his other arm around Izaya’s waist as he did, turning toward Shiki. Izaya, sensing Akabayashi’s intent, slid an arm around his neck even as Akabayashi pushed him back toward Shiki. “You’re a fine piece of ass but I’m not interested in games.” His gaze shifted to Shiki and their eyes locked with Izaya between them.

“No games,” Shiki replied honestly. “No ulterior motives.”

“Just some casual fun,” Izaya added.

“Izaya’s about as subtle as a cat in heat,” Akabayashi responded, giving the raven an amused look as he addressed Shiki. “But you don’t seem interested.”

Shiki smirked. “If I wasn’t interested we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” 

Akabayashi studied Shiki thoughtfully. “Bit of a surprise, hearing that.”

Izaya tangled a hand in Akabayashi’s hair and tugged. “Well?” He demanded impatiently.

“Your decision.” Shiki slid a hand over Izaya’s stomach, pushing up the hem of his shirt to trace the lines of muscle.

Akabayashi’s eyes slid down to the pale expanse of flesh and he grinned. “Can’t say I’ve done anything like this before.”

Izaya gave him a cheeky smirk. “What part, exactly? You’re not a virgin, are you?”

Akabayashi snorted and leaned in, silencing the raven with a kiss. Izaya’s grip on Akabayashi’s hair tightened as they kissed, letting his other hand grip Shiki’s thigh. Shiki’s hand continued to trail along his stomach as he watched the two kiss, amused to see that Akabayashi seemed as avid a kisser as Izaya. Akabayashi pulled back, leaving Izaya a bit breathless, his gaze shifting to Shiki. “I wonder, are you as serious in bed as you are at work?”

Shiki arched a brow and gave Akabayashi a smirk. “Are you as carefree?”

“Of course. Preferences?”

“Top.” Izaya declared with a grin. Akabayashi and Shiki exchanged a glance, both chuckling at the raven.

“Sounds unlikely,” Akabayashi replied, leaning back and pulling Izaya up with him, sliding his hands under the raven’s ass and squeezing. “The ‘ _Haruyaaaa’_ I overheard the other morning says bullshit.” Izaya smirked, though his cheeks coloured a bit at Akabayashi’s teasing. 

Shiki just looked amused. “I’m adaptable.”

“Can we be done with the talking now?” Izaya asked, turning to look at Shiki.

Akabayashi chuckled at Izaya’s impatience, gripping the hem of Izaya’s shirt and pulling it up over his head. “As good a way to spend my Saturday as any.”

Divested of his shirt, Izaya leaned back against Shiki, tilting his head in invitation as he ran a hand down his chest. He watched Akabayashi with a smirk that was equal parts inviting and troublesome; poison-laced candy. Akabyashi watched as Shiki lowered his head to kiss along the curve of Izaya’s neck. Akabayashi moved forward, sliding his hands over Izaya’s thighs. Shiki looked up as Akabayashi approached, sliding his hand over Izaya’s as Akabayashi kissed him. Izaya’s free hand reached for the hem of Akabayashi’s shirt, sliding fingertips under the cloth to ghost over the lines of Akabayashi’s taut muscles. Shiki bit Akabayashi’s lip, earning a growl from the redhead.

“The couch is not large enough for this,” Izaya observed with a snicker.

“Fair point,” Akabayashi agreed, pulling back. Izaya rose first, moving toward the bedroom. Akabayashi watched with a smirk, then shifted his gaze to Shiki as the other executive rose. He stood as well, taking a step closer to Shiki as he spoke. “As fun as it will be to fuck Izaya, I think watching you come undone would be even more satisfying.”

Shiki arched a brow and smirked. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.” He turned away, following Izaya’s path to the bedroom with Akabayshi chuckling as he followed.

Izaya was in the process of discarding his pants as they entered, glancing back at them as he slid his thumbs into the waistband of his boxers and pushed them off his hips in a slow tease. Shiki slipped off his shirt as he approached Izaya, catching his hands. “No need to rush.”

Akabayashi’s eyes travelled over the patterns of ink that covered Shiki’s back, disappearing beneath his waistband. He had only seen glimpses of Shiki’s irezumi over the years, usually just the arms and some of the chest. He’d never seen the full work, the dragon hinted at on his arms now seen in their full glory. He reached out to trace the weaving form of the dragon, lowering his head to press kisses to the line of Shiki’s neck. Izaya moved his hands to Shiki’s hips as he pressed kisses along Shiki’s collarbone. Shiki laced his fingers through Izaya’s hair, tilting his own head back. “I want to see the rest.” Akabayashi murmured against the line of Shiki’s neck, drawing a chuckle from Izaya whose hands swiftly moved to open Shiki’s fly and push his jeans off his hips. Shiki snorted at Izaya’s eagerness, turning to face Akabayashi. Izaya peered at the redhead over Shiki’s shoulder as he slid his hands down Shiki’s boxers to slide over his ass. Shiki’s hands moved to the buttons of Akabayashi’s shirt, making quick work of them. Akabnayashi shrugged out of the shirt, letting it fall as Shiki took a turn at tracing the lines of ink on skin, the fall of autumn coloured leaves over his chest.

“Can we admire the art later?” Izaya inquired with amusement, hands drifting from Shiki’s ass to the line of his hips, pushing his boxers down. Akabayashi chuckled, shedding pants and boxers in a single movement while Shiki turned to Izaya, stepping out of jeans and boxers. Shiki walked Izaya back to the edge of the bed, giving him a light push. Izaya sat down, hands reaching for Shiki’s hips as he watched Akabayashi approach. His gaze shifted between the two men, eyes shining, eager and excited. 

Akabayashi settled onto the bed, propping himself up against the headboard with a grin. “Comfy. Now I know where all your hard-earned money goes…” He joked as Izaya turned and climbed across the bed toward him. 

“Far superior to couches,” Izaya responded with a smirk as he moved in to kiss Akabayashi. Shiki rolled his eyes at the two, moving to the bedside table before joining them on the bed. He watched as Izaya broke the kiss, shifting his attention to the hard line of Akabayashi’s cock. Izaya lowered his head, eyes gazing up at Akabayashi as he took in the redhead’s cock, running his tongue along the base. Akabayashi groaned at the sensation, watching Izaya with eyes half-lidded in pleasure. Shiki drew a hand over the curve of Izaya’s ass to slide between his thighs, pushing them apart. Izaya shifted obediently as Akabayashi tangled a hand in his hair, tightening as the raven continued to suck and lick his cock slowly. Akabayashi shifted his gaze to Shiki as the other dragged lube-slicked fingers over the raven’s entrance, pressing in slowly. Izaya groaned at the feeling, the sound muffled by Akabayashi’s cock. 

“That’s a nice sound,” Akabayashi commented, looking back down at the raven. Shiki continued the slow press, fingers curling down over Izaya’s prostate to draw another moan from the raven. Shiki trailed his hand over the curve of Izaya’s back, smirking.

“Quiet he is not.” Izaya rolled his eyes, drawing back and reaching for a condom. He slid it onto Akabayashi’s cock as Shiki continued to tease him open, breath coming in soft pants. Shiki wrapped an arm around his waist, dragging him back as Akabayashi moved forward with a grin. Shiki pressed Izaya’s shoulders down to the bed as Akabayashi slid hands along the bottoms of his thighs, pushing them up as he shifted into position. Shiki grabbed Izayha’s ankled, drawing the raven’s legs further back.

“Guess that yoga is good for something,” Akabayashi teased as he pressed inside, feeling the raven tense beneath him at the initial stretch. Shiki watched Akabayashi carefully as the redhead entered Izaya, relaxing as Akabayashi took care not to push the raven too quickly. He shifted forward, pressing his cock to Izaya’s lips. Izaya parted his lips eagerly, taking it in as Akabayashi’s initially careful thrusts shifted to a more pressing rhythm. Akabayashi leaned in as he thrust into the raven, reaching up to wrap a hand around the back of Shiki’s neck, drawing him into a demanding kiss. Shiki responded by parting his lips willingly, nipping at Akabayashi’s bottom lip in return. Izaya moaned beneath them, hands gripping Shiki’s thighs tightly as the two men thrust into him, their varied rhythms catching him off guard. Akabayashi broke the kiss to turn his attention to the line of Shiki’s neck as he drew closer to release, drawing teeth over the dark stain of ink as his thrusts grew rough with need. Shiki drew away from Izaya as the raven moaned at Akabayashi’s demanding thrusts, watching as the redhead came with a satisfied groan. He drew back, releasing Shiki’s neck as he pulled out, drawing his hand over Izaya’s neglected cock slowly. Shiki moved off the raven and Izaya pushed himself up on his elbows, turning his gaze to Shiki. 

“Come here,” Shiki ordered Izaya as he lay back on the bed. Akabayashi gave a soft laugh as Izaya immediately shifted to straddle Shiki, sliding down onto his cock eagerly. Akabayashi moved behind Izaya, sliding an arm around his waist and gripping his cock as he rode Shiki. Shiki’s hands gripped Izaya’s hips lightly, watching Akabayashi stroke his cock in a demanding rhythm that had Izaya moaning and arching his back. As Akabayashi brought Izaya, Shiki gripped his hips tightly, drawing him down roughly as he shuddered through his orgasm. Izaya whimpered, leaning against Akabayashi as Shiki continued thrusting to find his own release. 

Akabayashi pressed a kiss to the back of Izaya’s neck then let him go as Izaya shifted forward, lying down beside Shiki and resting his head on the other’s chest. Akabayashi settled on Izaya’s other side, resting his head on his hand as he traced his fingers along Izaya’s pale side, expression softened by what might have been newfound affection. Shiki caught Akabayashi’s gaze and it was gone, replaced by a smirk.

“Seems you aren’t as boring in bed as you are at work,” He teased Shiki.

Izaya turned slightly to gaze at Akabayashi with amusement. “It’s how he works off all his stress.” 

“Half of which is because of you,” Shiki retorted. “So it’s only fair you help.”

Akabayashi chuckled at the other two. “Best part of your little invitation is enjoying sleeping in your enormous bed instead of the couch.” 

Izaya snickered. “Maybe you can help me convince Shiki to spend _more_ time in it.”

“Unlikely,” Shiki replied with a ghost of a smile.

Akabayashi smirked at Shiki. “Sounds like a decent challenge.”


	17. Day Seventeen

Late morning on the balcony, coffee, french toast and company. Shiki sipped his coffee, staring down at the street quietly as Izaya and Akabayashi argued about the intricacies of how the government was currently handling the pandemic and what they should or shouldn’t be doing. At least that’s how it started but somewhere along the way, it slid into arguing about the conspiracy theories that had begun to circulate, mostly coming out of America.

“Whether or not China was quick enough to release information to the rest of the world might be a valid question but it makes no sense that they created it as a weapon to unleash on the rest of the world. Do these people even bother doing any research?”

“Did you hear about the author who wrote about a pandemic starting in China?”

Izaya snickered. “Mmm yeah, stupid people are claiming he’s a psychic.”

“Maybe he is psychic.” Akabayashi countered with a grin. “With the things we’ve seen, can you really dismiss it that easily?”

Izaya gave Akabayashi a dismissive look. “Just because a thing could possibly exist doesn’t mean it’s suddenly all around us. The guy used Wu Han as his setting because the Institute for Virology has been around for a long time. It’s an easy choice if you want to write a story about virus outbreaks. The year was simply a coincidence.”

“Orrrr he was psychic.” Akabayashi insisted, earning an eye roll from Izaya.

“You’re an idiot. Next, you’re going to try to tell me that the people who think aliens planted the virus are actually right.”

“No, that’s clearly too far.”

“Psychics are reasonable but aliens aren’t? Explain that complete lack of logic to me.”

“We have no proof of aliens. We do have plenty of stories about people with psychic powers.”

“Anecdotal stories are not proof. There is no scientific evidence of people being able to predict the future.”

“That’s because real psychics would never admit the truth. They wouldn’t want to be locked up in secret labs and experimented on.”

“Uh-huh. Haruya, I think you need to send Mizuki for a psych evaluation. He clearly has a few screws loose.”

“You want the _yakuza_ to do mental wellness checks?” Shiki arched a brow. “Do you know how many of them would fail?”

Izaya snickered at Shiki’s response. “Are you saying you hire crazy people?”

“Of course not.”

“Yeah, it’s the job that makes them crazy,” Akabayashi added with a smirk.

“Someone should recommend adding a mental wellness plan to the Awakusu benefits package. I want to see how Mikiya reacts to the idea.”

“Who needs a psychologist when you can just drown your sorrows in top-shelf liquor and get into a good ol’ fistfight to make you feel better?”

Izaya stared at Akabayashi in horror at the suggestion.

Shiki chuckled. “Is that how you deal with your issues, Mizuki?”

“Pretty sure that was my entire twenties,” Akabayashi replied with a shrug.

“I’m surprised you’re still alive,” Izaya muttered and Akabayashi laughed.

“You played tag with a guy who rips street signs out of concrete. You don’t have room to judge.”

“Well, I didn’t do it _drunk_.” 

“I’m surprised you don’t have more scars though,” Akabayashi pointed out.

“The key to fighting the beast is to not get anywhere within range of him.”

“That’s not fighting. That’s just running away. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to face off against him.” Akabayashi chuckled. “Maybe if I was your age.”

“Are you saying you’re too old?” Izaya prodded with a smirk.

“He’s certainly not getting younger.” Shiki shifted his gaze to Akabayashi, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Says the youngest old man in the Awakusu. You give ‘old soul’ a new meaning.”

“Exhausted soul.” Izaya supplied helpfully, grinning. “If you had to deal with Mikiya as much as he does, you’d probably age twenty years too.”

“Not to mention dealing with executives who bicker like little boys and employees who like to start gang wars in their spare time.”

“It’s a wonder you aren’t going gray.” Akabayashi grinned.

Izaya smirked. “I have a theory.”

“This should be good.” Shiki gave Izaya an amused look.

“Vampire.”

Akabayashi considered it, gazing at Shiki. “Yeah, I can see it. Looks young, acts old. Always cranky. Hates sunlight. Likes to bite.”

“Hates sunlight?” Shiki arched a brow. “I’m sitting out here in the sunlight. I wake up before _both_ of you.”

“I like how he didn’t deny the other points,” Akabayashi said to Izaya.

“He can’t deny the truth.” Izaya snickered.

“If I was a centuries-old vampire, why would I be working for the yakuza?”

“Boredom?” Akabayashi suggested.

“Legitimacy?” Izaya added. “I bet you secretly own a manor house in the countryside.”

Shiki snorted. “Overactive imagination. If I had a house out in the country, why would I bother living in the city?”

“Because you have to pretend to exist as a human,” Izaya replied matter-of-factly. “Modern records and whatnot. The same man can’t own a house without questions being raised. It would have to be passed down through family lines or something, some way of making it look like more than one person. And you’d have to leave sometimes, otherwise, the locals would notice that the same unaging man lived in the house.”

“So why wouldn’t I just buy another house in another small town?”

“Better access to food in Tokyo?” Akabayashi pointed out. “Easier to blend in and switch apartments than to be buying and selling houses. Aren’t vampires usually drawn to urban centers anyway?”

“Depends on the type and the story.” Izaya shrugged. “Sunlight, though… He does have a point. I only know of one story where vampires could go out in the sun and it was a pretty shitty story.”

“Sunscreen? Like the vampires in Blade did?”

“You’ve seen Blade?” Izaya looked at Akabayashi in surprise. 

“Of course?”

“I don’t think sunscreen would work. It was pretty flimsy in that movie. Even with sunscreen, they were at risk. That’s movie logic, not real vampire myth, anyway.”

“You’re talking about vampires and you want to draw a line between modern movies and old myths?”

“Of course. The criteria has to fit classic ideas of vampirism and modern media drifts too far away from that in order to try to tell more original stories about the creatures.”

Akabayashi chuckled and shook his head. “Well, then I have no idea. I’m not some vampire enthusiast, I just know what I’ve seen in movies and books.”

“I can’t believe you’re even having this conversation,” Shiki observed, amused. “I’d expect it from Izaya but not from you.”

Izaya grinned. “I’m corrupting him.”

“When you find out your favourite idol also happens to be part vampire, debating whether or not you’re working with a vampire suddenly becomes a lot more reasonable.” Akabayashi pointed out with a grin.

Izaya’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “How did _you_ find that out?”

“Ruri is part vampire?” Shiki asked at the same time though he didn’t seem at all surprised.

“As much as you like to think you know everything that’s going on, there are other informants out there, you know.” 

“Who knows as much about the supernatural as me?” Izaya scoffed. “Unlikely.”

“I didn’t say they knew as much. Just that you aren’t the only one who knows things.”

Izaya’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Why would you use other sources when you clearly know I could do better?”

“Because I don’t always trust your motives?” Akabayashi pointed out. Izaya’s lips curved down into a pout. 

“When your personal interests overlap with your work, you do have a tendency to start poking at hornet’s nests.” Shiki supplied with a smile.

“Explosive hornet’s nests.” Akabayashi clarified with a grin.

“You can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs.” Izaya defended and the others chuckled.

“Hang on, I think we just found our new headline.” Akabayashi’s grin widened.

“Eh?” Izaya gave him a curious look.

“Virus passed to humans through vampires!”

Shiki just groaned.


	18. Day Eighteen

“Oh come on! That was so cheap!” Izaya protested as Akabayashi jostled him, using the distraction to execute a series of attacks in the game they were playing.

“Gotta learn to focus better,” Akabayashi responded, laughing as he scored a win. Izaya huffed and shifted further away from the redhead as the next round began.

“I was _trying_ to be nice to the rookie but since you’ve decided to cheat…” Izaya pulled out his cheapest combos, forcing Akabayashi’s character into a corner.

“What the hell was that?” Akabayashi retorted indignantly. “That shouldn’t even be allowed!”

“What shouldn’t be allowed is playing video games when you should be working,” Shiki observed as he appeared in the doorway of his office with his coffee cup. “If you’re any louder, my neighbours are going to complain.” He made his way to the kitchen to refill his mug.

“If they haven’t complained about Izaya yet…” Akabayashi responded as he mashed the controller buttons, attempting to redeem himself in another round. Izaya prodded Akabayashi’s thigh with his foot.

“Your trash-talking needs work. How are you going to beat all the kids in online gaming if your worst insult is that I’m _loud_?”

“Is that what I was supposed to be doing?” Akabayashi responded with a grin. “If you really want insults…”

“How about you keep your insults to a minimum, along with the noise? I have work to do, even if you two don’t.”

“You say that but you’ve already done the daily call. You’re really not required to do anything else. It’s not like you’re on a clock.” Izaya threw his hands in the air as he won the third round. “Yeeeessss! Suck it, Mizuki!” Shiki moved behind Izaya and tugged his head back. Izaya grinned up at him and offered up the controller. “Take a turn.”

Akabayashi grinned. “Call it a coffee break.”

Shiki sighed and let Izaya go, pulling out his smokes as he joined them on the couch. “What else do you have?”

Izaya grinned and moved to the stack of games that had arrived that morning, along with the game system. “Borderlands? We can do co-op.”

“Sure.” Shiki lit his smoke and grabbed the controller as Izaya switched out the games. “Too bad it’s co-op only.”

Akabayashi snorted. “Should switch our team meetings to Overwatch matches.”

Izaya settled on the couch between them with a snicker. “So you can watch Aozaki fail to figure out how to play?”

“Yep,” Akabayashi replied. 

“You do realize that Overwatch is team-based, right? So if he sucks, we all suck?”

“I’d take a loss to watch him fail.”

Shiki eyed Akabayashi with mild disdain. “Nice to see where your priorities are.”

“You know…” Izaya mused. “Japan doesn’t have any teams in the Overwatch League.”

“The what?” Akabayashi asked.

“Esports?” Izaya replied, rolling his eyes. “You keep saying you know what the kids are into and you don’t even follow esports?”

“And you do?”

“Of course not. Who wants to watch a bunch of Koreans play video games on TV? I don’t watch sports either, for the same reason. It’s boring. But I do know about it. It’s a fascinating shift in social dynamics.”

“Look what you did, Mizuki,” Shiki accused the redhead with a long-suffering look.

Izaya stuck his tongue out at Shiki before continuing. “Fundamentally, all of the sports we enjoy watching are rooted in skills that could be considered necessary. Physical strength, the ability to protect ourselves and murder our enemies or dexterity based skills that reflect the ability to hunt, as an example. What little tactical thinking there is tends to be relegated to the coaches or one or two members of a team and almost always revolve around battle. Video games provide an entirely mental arena and are heavily stigmatized as not being real sports even though they tend to have very similar rule structures.”

“They’re games, not sports,” Akabayashi commented. “Haruya stop stealing my shots… Have you played before?”

“Nope. I have good hand-eye coordination. Maybe if you had two eyes you could keep up.”

“Oooooo low blow!” Izaya exclaimed with a laugh. “But what is the difference between a game and a sport? Is it solely the physicality?”

“That _is_ the definition,” Shiki replied.

Izaya wrinkled his nose at the answer then shrugged. “Well, yes, but pretty much everything else is the same. Yet society encourages only sports as valuable. The mental skills required in playing games is less valuable than the ability to throw a ball or tackle an opponent. I mean, look at the struggle in the yakuza. The old men who believe that brawn is the answer are clashing with the younger men who believe that intelligence is the future.”

“Different generations, different thinking,.” Akabayashi shrugged. “Haruya, stop camping. Why am I not surprised you picked a sniper?”

“Just like no one was surprised you chose the soldier?”

“Exactly. Esports is fascinating because it shows a change in what society values.”

“I don’t think it does,” Shiki countered with a slight smile. “I think that intelligence has always been valued, at least in our culture. Intelligence doesn’t lend itself to easily entertaining forms of showmanship, however. Sports is an easy to watch, easy to interpret show of physical prowess. Watching shogi, on the other hand, simply looks tedious to those who don’t understand the nuances of the game or lack the attention span. Watching people show off their quick-thinking and mastery of team-based tactics in a video game is far more interesting than watching two old men play shogi.”

Izaya paused to look at Shiki with a slight pout. “You just subverted my argument!”

“Was it an argument?” Shiki replied with a smirk.

“Tch. Your point is… valid.” He admitted reluctantly. “It’s still fascinating to see the shift in societal perception. Video games were considered a waste of time, something that only kids did, silly and pointless. Now they are being viewed in a different light. Being a ‘gamer’ is becoming normalized instead of embarrassing and nerdy. People can now become professionals at playing games, just like athletes.”

“How profitable is it, though?” Akabayashi asked. “I don’t imagine it’s _that_ good a job.”

“The League pays $50k US annual salary. Plus the prize pool depending on how far they get.”

“$50k?” Akabayashi shook his head surprised. “That’s more than some salarymen are making. Haruya, you should consider changing careers.”

“Do I look like I would enjoy sitting in front of a computer playing games all day? Besides, I make more than $50k.”

“You know what would be an even better idea?” Izaya asked with a grin. “Awakusu sponsored Overwatch Team! I bet you could totally sell Mikiya on the idea. Yakuza sponsored esports. Just think of the team names you could come up with.”

Akabayashi and Shiki exchanged a look. 

“The Tokyo Ninjas?” Akabayashi suggested.

“Tokyo Samurai,” Shiki countered.

“Predictable.” Izaya criticized.

“You’d probably name the team with a cat reference.” Akabayashi teased.

“Tokyo Neko?” Shiki snorted.

“Doesn’t really flow. You could just call them the Tokyo Yakuza. One of the teams is called the Outlaws, after all.”

“Ah yes, I’m sure that wouldn’t cause problems at all.” Shiki chuckled.

“It’s just a gaming team. No one will think anything of it.” Izaya insisted with a grin.

“He’s probably right,” Akabayashi agreed. “They’d just think it was a media thing.”

“Not only are you a wealth of information,” Shiki told Izaya. “But also a wealth of strange and terrible ideas. How much would that even cost?”

“Around $30 million.”

“Somehow I don’t think Awakusu has that kind of capital to invest.” Akabayashi laughed. “Maybe Medei could do it.”

“Too bad. Guess you’ll just have to stick to your life of crime.”

“I think we’re good with that,” Akabayashi replied with a laugh.

“Agreed,” Shiki seconded. 


End file.
